


Ghost

by Pachohderm



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV) RPF
Genre: Best Friends, Eventual Romance, F/M, Families of Choice, Friendship/Love, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Pet Names, Pets, Self-Acceptance, Sexuality Crisis, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:14:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 68,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pachohderm/pseuds/Pachohderm
Summary: Madison and Charlie come across a stray while out in Vancouver as they begin filming season 2. The dog becomes the newest member of the Phantom family.
Relationships: Charlie Gillespie & Madison Reyes, Charlie Gillespie/Madison Reyes, Madison Reyes & Charlie Gillespie & Owen Patrick Joyner & Jeremy Shada, Owen Patrick Joyner & Charlie Gillespie, Owen Patrick Joyner & Madison Reyes
Comments: 37
Kudos: 71





	1. Black and White

AN: So this is going to be a multi chapter fic that spans over a long period of time. This fic will be focused on Madison and Charlie but everyone collectively grows closer in this. Given the delicate nature of the two's ages, I understand if some feel they don't want to read this. Also because I am Pentaholic/Superfruit/Scomiche trash, I had to include them in here. They, and the rest of the band, will appear later on as well. Oh! Watch Julie and the Phantoms and remember....TELL. YOUR. FRIENDS. 

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The ice and snow of Vancouver’s winter was finally letting up as Madison and Charlie walked down the sidewalk. It was fortunate that filming for the second season of Julie and the Phantoms was starting in April. Canada was known to snow into the spring. The two actors were glad to be back in the city, nonetheless. They were spending time together to build up the chemistry for filming and just to catch up since they had been separated for so long.  
“I can’t believe we haven’t seen each other physically in over a year,” Charlie remarked. Madison nodded, wishing her smile could be seen behind her Puerto Rican flag designed face mask.  
“I know. It feels odd because I have talked to you so much on FaceTime and lives. But this is much better.” They may have stayed in regular contact over the year they and the others were apart, but it was different being able to feel his presence and energy in person. She had missed her friend.  
Charlie sighed. “No kidding. When Owen and I got to see each other a few months back, we couldn’t help just hugging. You don’t realize how much physical touch matters until you can’t go near anyone.”  
Madison’s eyes felt a little watery at the words. She loved the whole cast and knowing that she wasn’t the only one who felt touch-starved was comforting. “Even though the virus is still out there, we at least have each other right now.”  
It was impossible not to know that Charlie was smiling with how his eyes shined at her. “Yeah…And we’ll all be stuck together for months.” Madison laughed with Charlie joining her only seconds later. He wasn’t wrong. They were going to be filming for at least three months.  
Once the laughter subsided, they turned to work. “What do you think of the scripts? Did you go through all the episodes?”  
“I did. I like it. The plot progresses well. It was nice that they left room for us to improvise, too.”  
Charlie scrunched his nose underneath his Sunset Curve ghost face mask. “Probably because the writers know how the boys and I can get.”  
Madison shook her head, not being able to stop giggling. “No kidding. With one scene, you made Reggie a bi icon.”  
The Canadian couldn’t argue with that fact. “Don’t worry Mads, Julie is the only one for me,” he replied.  
Madison’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she smiled over at him. She knew he had that stupid cute grin on his face. “I feel so honored. But now that you mention it, I can’t wait to hear the song that Owen and Booboo get to sing for their moment.”  
“Me too. I can’t believe that Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi wrote the Willex love song.” The cast had learned that Kenny had reached out to the two Grammy winning singers to write the song because of their amazing work on their duo act and their natural chemistry.  
Madison nodded still in awe. “I know. I can’t wait to hear the boys sing it. It might rival ours.”  
Charlie shook his head with a laugh. “Maybe…You want to get boba? There’s the place around the corner. And you can tell me what outfits you are cooking up for Julie this season.”  
“Ooh that sounds great. I was actually thinking of that.”  
Charlie clapped his hands together in excitement. “I bet it will all look amazing. Do you think we’ll have any matching outfits this season. Because-”.  
“Wait, quiet,” the younger of the two said as she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.  
Charlie stopped, too, a few steps from her. “Why? What’s wrong?”  
Madison waved her arm in his direction. “Ssshhh.” Charlie did as she said and they stood there in silence. “Can’t you hear that,” she asked.  
Now that they were not talking or moving, Charlie could pick up on something. “What is that? It sounds like…crying?”  
Madison tilted her head as if trying to hear better. They could hear a whimpering for sure. “…Yeah. Where is it coming from?”  
The two listened harder. Even with the bustling sounds of the city, they could hear the sound. “It sounds like it is coming from that alley,” Charlie said, pointing to a somewhat narrow stretch of pavement between two buildings some feet away from where they were standing. It was barely big enough to fit a small car through.  
Madison looked over to Charlie. He nodded to her in a silent agreement. They pulled their masks down and inched towards the alley, following the sound of the cries. They took careful steps as they got closer to a garbage bin. The sounds seemed to be coming from right there.  
Charlie was closer to the wall of the alley and noticed some boxes and trash cans next to the garbage bin. He could see the shadow of something rustling in one of the boxes that was tipped over. He looked over to Madison who nodded at the look in his eyes and she crouched down against the garbage bin and leaned over to the side of it.  
The Puerto Rican gasped as she spotted the source of the cries. Said source was startled and shuffled out of the box. Charlie went down to his knees to be more level with the little being between him and Madison.  
“It’s a dog,” Madison said in surprise. The dog was a Jack Russell Terrier. It wasn’t the usual brown and white and instead had a black and white coat. The coat was wiry giving the impression it had a mustache where its mouth was.  
“Yeah, it is. Do you see a collar or anything on it?”  
Madison was careful not to spook the poor thing as she stretched forward to see if there were any identifying markers that the dog wasn’t a stray. “Nothing. But it’s a boy.”  
Charlie took a calming breath. “Okay so it looks like he has been out here for a while.” Madison frowned. Besides the dirt matted to the fur, she could see the outline of his ribs.  
“Do you think he’s been out here during the winter then?”  
Charlie’s eyes were sad as he nodded. “By the way he’s shaking, I wouldn’t doubt it. There is even some cloth in there like a make shift bed.”  
Madison fought away the tears that started forming. How could such a sweet creature be left in such a state? She had a close eye on the dog who was watching both her and Charlie. Charlie was slowly moving towards the open alley way in case the dog tried to run off on them. Madison had caught the dog’s interest as she pulled out a bit of trail mix from her pocket. It was something she had from the flight to Vancouver a few days before.  
The dog was looking at her as if trying to decide if he could move closer to her. “It’s okay, sweetie. I won’t hurt you. Here,” she offered and brought her hand down close to the ground with an almond in her palm.  
She was patient to let the dog know she wasn’t going to do anything. It seemed as if he decided she wasn’t a danger and moved over to her hand to eat the almond. While she was distracting the dog, Charlie took off his jacket. He held it up and crawled forward. “Mads, see if he’ll let you pick him up?”  
Madison pulled the bag of trail mix out again and waved it in front of the terrier. “Do you want some more of this boy?  
The dog couldn’t deny the sight of more food and wagged his tail. He moved closer and got up on his hind legs to get closer to the nuts and dried fruits. With his eyes focused on the bag in her left hand, Madison carefully wrapped her arm around the lower part of his torso and picked him up. She took a second to balance herself with the added weight before standing up. She let the dog shove his little mouth into the open bag to eat. “Great job, Mads.”  
Charlie walked over and wrapped his jacket around the dog. Madison adjusted the jacket so it didn’t slip off. The dog seemed to like the warmth the jacket provided as he burrowed his head in it. “Awww. He’s so cute. But…what do you think we should do?”  
Charlie looked down at the dog who was practically laying his head on Madison’s chest. “I’m not sure. It wouldn’t make sense to bring him to a shelter. He’d be stuck in there for who knows how long. And without a collar we don’t know if he used to belong to anyone either…”  
Madison looked down at the dog. He had such big gray eyes. “We can’t just leave him out here. He’ll die.”  
Brown met hazel as they mulled that terrifying thought over. “…I know. Let’s get some food for him and then figure this out.”

Madison and Charlie were back where they found the dog after getting him a can of wet food from a convenience store and asking the people in the area if they knew the dog. To their dismay, all the shop owners and locals who lived in the area only knew him as a wily stray who stole food and other things. From what they were told, the dog had always been on the street. Madison had kept him tucked in Charlie’s jacket where he had made himself comfortable and rubbed his nose against Madison often.  
“I can’t imagine leaving him here,” Madison lamented.  
Charlie rubbed the dog’s head gently. He seemed to lean into the human touch. “Neither can I. We will be here in the city so maybe we can visit him and bring him food and water,” he said giving an option.  
Madison shook her head no as she let the dog lick her hand. “That’s too risky. We won’t always be able to come out and see him. If we are going to give him food, why should he stay here?”  
Charlie’s eyes widened. “Madison are you saying what I think you are saying? You want us to keep him!?”  
Madison rolled her eyes and pushed some curls behind her ear so she could look over her shoulder at the brunet. “Well why not? He feels comfortable with us. We both obviously adore him already. And besides you are all about animal and environmental conservation. Us getting him off the street would be a good thing.”  
Charlie couldn’t argue with the determined brown eyes staring at him. “Okay…fine. We’ll bring him back to set. But we have to find out if we’ll be able to actually keep him. We have Kenny, the execs, and your parents who have to approve of us having a dog around.”  
“Deal. But first, don’t you think he needs a name,” Madison asked as they both turned their eyes back on the dog who was nuzzling her sweater.  
Charlie looked at the dog, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Uh what about Spot?”  
Madison glared at him. “Like the dog from The Little Rascals? No.”  
“Well he’s a Jack Russell Terrier so…Jacky?” Madison gave him a deadpan look.  
“Really? Jacky? You are horrible at names.” Madison stared into the dog’s eyes. “What about Ghost,” she exclaimed. “The shop owners said he always disappears like a ghost and runs so fast it’s like he was never there.” Her face was bright with happiness at her idea.  
A huge smile spread on Charlie’s face. “That is perfect! And it totally fits too. Because we are Julie and the Phantoms, you know,” Charlie replied just as happy.  
Madison bounced in place not being able to contain her joy. “Exactly! And with his coat and eye color, it matches too!”  
With an agreement on his name, Madison wanted to know if their new dog liked it, too. “What do you think? Do you like the name Ghost?” The dog in her arms barked happily and she could feel him wagging his tail. It was official. Ghost was coming with them.


	2. Miscommunication

AN: I am expecting I will be putting this disclaimer on every chapter, but here goes. As stated in the last chapter, this focuses on a closer relationship between Madison and Charlie through their parenting of Ghost. As time goes on everyone starts to get defined lines of friendship with the two. In regards to what Charlie says in one specific scene, please remember that he is nervous. I guess that is it. Enjoy!

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Madison had handed off the newly named Ghost to Charlie so he could better hide him as they slipped into the lot where they were filming the show. The costars crept around as they looked to make sure they didn’t run into anyone they knew. They needed to sneak Ghost into Charlie’s trailer while they came up with a plan on how to explain the new addition to their group.   
“The target is in sight. I can see the trailers up ahead,” Madison said. Charlie tucked Ghost’s head against his chest, covering it, as he nodded.   
“Right. If we make a sprint for it, we can get him inside before there’s a chance for someone to show up.” The two had the seriousness of spies on a secret mission. They readied themselves to take off for Charlie’s trailer when they were stopped by a voice behind them.  
“Hey guys. You are finally back. You were out longer than any of us were expecting.”  
Madison and Charlie moved as little as possible as they turned their heads to see the blond drummer of the show/band. “H-hey Owen. We didn’t see you there,” Madison said with a little stumble on her words.  
Charlie was trying to smile nonchalantly at his roommate but it came out more like a grimace. “Yeah. You really got that ghost thing down. Popping up out of nowhere,” he tried to joke.  
Thinking he was being called, Ghost yipped in his arms. Charlie and Madison’s eyes widened comically at the sound. Charlie moved his hand to muffle the noise. “Uh what was that,” Owen asked, his green blue eyes narrowing in suspicion.   
“What was what,” Charlie replied back, the nerves hitting him.   
Owen arched one of his finely waxed brows. “That sound just now.”  
Charlie gave his best reassuring smile. “What sound? I didn’t hear anything. Did you Mads?”  
“Nope. Didn’t hear a thing,” Madison agreed.  
Owen didn’t seem convinced. “I know I heard something. And why are you guys standing like that? Are you carrying something Charlie?”  
The two dog smugglers looked at each other with alarm. It was like ABORT MISSION was flashing in big red letters between them. They didn’t think they’d get caught so early. What were they going to do!?  
It seemed like Ghost made the decision for them as he nudged Charlie’s hand away and shook the jacket off his head. He yapped in confusion as he looked at the humans that had found him only two hours before. Owen peered over Charlie’s shoulder. “Is that a dog? Are you guys really trying to sneak a dog onto set?”  
Madison and Charlie were quick to shush their friend. “Don’t be so loud,” Charlie hissed.  
“Yeah. We don’t need anyone else finding out,” Madison added, scowling at the young man.  
Before Owen could say anything, the last of the band came out from one of the sets and spotted them. “What’s going on here? Am I missing a band hangout,” Jeremy joked as he came up. He spotted Ghost in Charlie’s arms who was looking around at the four a little lost. “Where’d you get a dog?”  
Madison and Charlie groaned in unison. "Not here! Come on,” Charlie rushed out and grabbed Owen’s shoulder and pushed him along. Madison took Jeremy by the wrist and followed after the other two.

They had made it into Charlie’s trailer safely without being caught by anyone else on the way. Charlie was rubbing Ghost’s head as a form of comfort, for both of them. The band was silent as they all looked at one another. No one wanted to be the first to speak.  
Owen threw his hands up, not being able to take it anymore. “Okay, we are in here. Now explain what’s going on!”  
Jeremy nodded having a very Reggie like appearance on his face. “Yeah. I am totally lost.”  
Madison rolled her eyes. She turned to Charlie. He looked at her, a pout on his face. He sighed, knowing what she was trying to get at. “Alright…so we were walking and about to go to get boba when we heard this little guy.”  
Owen and Jeremy locked eyes and then looked back at the guitarist. “Okay…?”  
“He was in an alley where we found him. He’s a stray,” Madison continued.  
“And after talking it over, we decided to take him with us,” Charlie finished.  
Owen was rubbing his temples and mumbling to himself. He glared at Madison and Charlie. “So you are just going to hide a dog here and expect no one to notice?”  
Charlie kept his cool to not startle Ghost. “No. We are going to speak to Kenny and the execs about it and then Maddie’s parents. We just wanted to take a bit to come up with the best approach and also wash him up so he doesn’t look and smell like garbage.” Ghost barked at Charlie, almost looking like he had a frown. Charlie looked down at the dog. “Sorry boy. But you do.” Ghost grumbled and resettled himself in Charlie’s arms so he looked away from the human.   
Madison cooed and scratched underneath Ghost’s chin. “You are so cute,” she squealed. Charlie smiled at the sight.  
“So you found a dog and just decide to adopt it? You don’t know if it has something. Since he was living on the street,” Jeremy said. As the resident dog owner he was very logical with the situation.  
Madison sighed. “We are going to take him to the vet to get checked out. But we have to get everyone on board first.”  
Owen and Jeremy looked at each other again. “…Okay. So you said he needed a bath, right,” Owen said.  
Madison and Charlie smiled. They had two new recruits.

It was a lot more nerve-wracking to tell their boss than their friends as they waited to speak to Kenny and the execs. They were in the middle of filming a scene between Carlos and Sonny. Madison and Charlie had left Ghost in the care of their bandmates in Charlie’s trailer while they went to the set.   
“You remember what we are going to say, right,” Madison asked as she did Alex’s ‘model strut’, full of nerves.  
Charlie nodded jerkily. “Y-yeah. We got this, Mads. And besides, Kenny is great. He wouldn’t deny Ghost…”. The two friends tried to believe those words. But they had never done something like this before. It was totally new territory.   
Madison’s pacing stopped at the sight of the famed choreographer and director. She immediately latched onto Charlie’s arm. Charlie put a hand over one of her’s, feeling more secure that way.  
The man they had come to see smiled at the sight of his two leads. “Ah, Madison, Charlie it’s good to see you getting back in the rhythm of things. What was it that you wanted to speak to me about?” Charlie’s eyes were focused on him while Madison saw the other choreographer, Paul Becker, and some of the execs behind Kenny.   
Charlie did his best charming smile at their boss. “Well we actually wanted to talk to you about having a new member of the Phantom family.”  
Kenny’s eyes were curious behind his glasses. “Oh? Is someone having a baby?”  
Madison and Charlie gave strained smiled. “You…could say that,” Madison replied.  
“…Yeah…us,” Charlie said awkwardly. He realized too late what that sounded like as the older adults stared at him and Madison with wide eyes and agape mouths.  
“WHAT,” Kenny blurted.  
Madison smacked Charlie’s chest as their faces burned with embarrassed blushes. “NO, not like that! That is NOT what I meant! We are not….I didn’t….Nothing-”.  
Thankfully Madison saved him from putting his foot further in his mouth. “We are not together and I am definitely NOT pregnant. We are actually talking about an animal family member.” She squeezed Charlie’s arm in reassurance giving him a small smile to encourage him.  
Charlie’s nerves melted away with her there for support. Just in case he messed up again. “That’s right. See Mads and I found this cute little dog while we were out and couldn’t help bringing him back here.”  
Kenny wiped his brow, taking a deep breath. “Oh thank god. I thought we were going to have another Jamie Lynn Spears situation on our hands.” Madison and Charlie blanched at the thought. Even though they were younger, they knew about the drama that occurred when the at the time teenage Nickelodeon actress revealed she was pregnant.   
Madison cleared her throat in the hopes of breaking the awkward silence. “Right…as Charlie was saying, we brought him back here. We understand that this is a filming set and that this is our job, but we really want to keep him.”  
Charlie piggybacked off her words. “Yeah. We know this is a huge thing to ask of all of you. We are aware of the time and energy that it would take to care for this dog while keeping up with our usual routine. We are fully prepared to take this on. We will make sure this does not interfere with scheduling and that he is not a nuisance when he comes with us to set.”  
Kenny smiled at the strong words from the 22 year old. “You are really determined about this.”  
Madison’s lips curved into a soft smile. “As soon as I picked him up, I knew I didn’t want to let him go.” Charlie’s eyes stung with unshed tears as he thought about that moment.   
“Yeah…it just felt right. He latched onto Mads almost instantly.”  
Kenny had a grandfatherly aura about him as he smiled at them. “I can tell this means a lot to you. I think we can work something out.” The costars broke out into huge smiles at this. “Just try not to give us a scare next time,” he instructed. Charlie’s face burned with awkwardness and he avoided eye contact with everyone. He hoped his little snafu never got to Madison’s parents. That would throw a wrench in their trust in him being around their daughter.  
Like before, Madison took the lead in their team up. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I promise you won’t regret this Kenny. Come on, Charlie.” Madison grabbed Charlie by the hand and pulled him away before he could get even more emotional or blurt something else out that he wasn’t supposed to.

“You are such a softie, Charlie,” Madison said, trying to mess with him but her voice was too soft. Charlie just smiled at her. She smiled back and wiped away the tears that had gathered at his eyes. His eyelashes fluttered at the touch.   
“Mads stop babying me,” he grumbled. Even though she was the younger of the two, she was the voice of reason and more adult one. He didn’t pull away or push her hand off though. He liked her mama bear tendencies.   
Madison scoffed at his whining. “If you stopped acting like one, I wouldn’t have to,” she replied as she continued messing with his face.   
“Is this a part of your bonding,” Ricardo Reyes asked as he came up to his daughter and the young man he agreed to be her on screen love interest.   
Madison and Charlie jumped, her hands dropping from his face. They had been about to meet Madison’s parents except it seemed they found the young pair first. “Uh Dad, uh no this is not-”.  
“I just had something on my face. Maddie was being over the top with helping me get it. That’s all,” Charlie butt in, saving Madison this time from being a rambling mess.  
Ricardo arched his brow but didn’t comment on it further. “Okay…well Maddie why did you text you needed to talk to us? Is there something you are uncomfortable with in the script?” Ricardo and his wife Maggie looked at their eldest daughter with concern.  
Madison shook her head quickly. “No, no. It has nothing to do with that. Charlie and I just had something we needed to talk to you guys about?”  
Madison noticed her parents share a quick look that she couldn’t discern. “About,” her father asked.  
“Well you know how I have always wanted things of my own?” This served only to confused her parents. She decided to continue at their silence. She couldn’t help but rock between her feet to relax herself. “So….Charlie and I happened to stumble across something that was too good to pass up.”  
“Mija, what do you mean,” her mom asked.  
Charlie grabbed Madison’s hand and gave it a squeeze. Madison decided to just do it. “We found a dog,” she announced in a semi excited voice. “Surprise,” she finished with a shake of her hands in the air.   
Madison’s parents stood there in shock. It lasted a few seconds before her father was able to speak. “Wait…back up. What do you mean you found a dog?”  
Madison plastered on a fake cheery smile. “We were walking around the city and we found him in an alley. And then we brought him here.”  
It took a few seconds for her parents to digest the information. “So what you are saying is you two found a stray and brought it back with you?”   
Madison and Charlie nodded in unison. “Yup. That sums it up,” Charlie said nonchalantly.  
Ricardo let out a long suffering sigh while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Honey, I know you like helping animals and stuff but this is a bit different. You want to take on this dog. And you don’t know if it has any behavior or medical issues to deal with. That’s not even taking into consideration that you are working here. You have filming, recording, and dance to do and there’s also all the schoolwork you have. Adopting this dog means feeding it when necessary, giving it regular walks, making sure it is healthy, and being there physically and emotionally. Are you ready to wake up early or at any time to take it outside and change your schedule to accommodate this dog’s wants and needs?”  
Barely a second after her dad’s speech, Madison was nodding her head vigorously. “YES! Completely. I’ll do it. And besides I won’t be alone, Charlie will be with him too.”  
Charlie stepped forward a little. “She’s right. We’ll both be taking care of him. It will be equal parenting. Fifty-fifty. There won’t be any problems where Mads takes more responsibility than me or vice versa. We are serious about taking care of him.”  
“I don’t know…this is different than a hamster or a family pet,” Ricardo replied.  
Madison locked eyes with Charlie. They had to use the ultimate weapon. “Please Dad,” Madison cried with puppy dog eyes.  
“Yeah please Ric,” Charlie said beside her also sporting the puppy dog eyes. They amped up the cuteness by holding their hands together in front of their faces and crowding the older man.  
Ricardo couldn’t handle the eyes. “Okay…Fine! We’ll see how it goes. But if you can’t keep up your end of the bargain, we have to find another solution for the dog.”  
“YAY,” Madison and Charlie cheered and double high fived each other. They then hugged with Charlie picking her up and spinning her around. Madison giggled happily as he set her back on her feet.  
“It’s a good thing I didn’t say no, huh,” Ricardo stated.  
Madison had a cheeky grin on her face. “Yup! Especially since we already named him,” she shouted.  
Ricardo’s face fell and he shook his head. “Of course you did. And what did you decide to name him?”  
Madison and Charlie beamed as they replied. “Ghost!”


	3. Meet Ghost

AN: So let's get the usual out of the way. Yes this is focused on Madison and Charlie. They, along with the rest of the cast (specifically the band), grow closer. This spans over a period of time. To be clear, Madison and Charlie are teasing each other in this and don't have ulterior motives when they make certain comments. This is also the beginning of Owen and Ghost's love-hate relationship. With that, enjoy!

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The excitement of getting to keep Ghost lasted the rest of the day and night. The new pet parents ended up crashing with their fur baby in Charlie’s trailer with Owen and Jeremy in tow. It was now the next day and the real work began. They had gotten lucky and were booked for a vet appointment to get Ghost checked out and a grooming appointment so that they could get rid of his knotted and overgrown fur.   
The two were currently at a small local pet supply store looking for all of the essentials. It was a bit of a conversation between Madison and her parents to let them go alone. It wasn’t the fact of them being together that bothered her parents but them doing everything without help. Madison had to put her foot down. She had made it clear that she couldn’t effectively showcase how responsible she was if she had her parents holding her hand. That had ended the disagreement. Charlie was rather impressed with her display of decisiveness. She really was a force to be reckoned with.  
“Okay so we got him the raw food that was recommended. As well as his bowls. Now we need to get him a collar. What color were you thinking of Charlie?”  
Charlie absentmindedly looked around as he thought it over. “Uh…that’s a good question. Should we get him something like gray or black or something fluorescent so he can be seen from far away or at night….”.   
Madison bit her lip as she looked down at the list she had written out earlier. “That is tough. I don’t think we want anything too plain because then it will be hard to see on him unless we really look and hard to find if we misplace it when we give him a bath or something.”   
Charlie nodded, pushing the cart along with Ghost sitting down inside. “So then we are going colorful. Do we want a shade of blue, since he is a boy?”  
Madison grimaced. “I was actually thinking red. I know it sounds weird but I thought it would be kind of cool. Red for Canada, the red stripes in the Puerto Rican flag, the red stripe in your flag.”  
“That actually sounds really creative Mads. Yeah, we’ll get red. Are we getting a harness with the leash, too?”  
Madison nodded as she checked things off her list. “Definitely. He’s going to need one. Jack Russell Terriers are known to be feisty and full of energy.” To prove her point, Ghost barked and tried to jump out of the cart when he saw another dog.   
“Ghost, down,” Charlie ordered. Ghost looked back at Charlie. Madison kept her face neutral as she saw Ghost do as Charlie said. They had him less than a day but he was already quick to listen.   
“So stern,” Madison joked.  
Charlie relaxed as they walked to the wall covered in countless collars of all sizes and styles. “We have to show him who’s boss.”  
Madison smirked. “Yeah, me.” Charlie laughed at her quick response. Ghost turned his head to watch them and barked happily.

They had loaded everything into the trunk of the car they had rented for the day. “We got everything we needed. We just have to wait on Ghost’s name plate to get finished.”  
“Yeah. I am so glad they can do name plates right here and we don’t have to wait weeks doing it over the computer,” Charlie said as he organized the bags. “Why don’t we walk Ghost for a bit,” he brought up as he closed the trunk.  
Madison’s lips twisted into a smirk. “Are you sure that’s such a good idea, Charlie? We might find another animal to adopt.”  
Charlie chuckled as he put his mask on. “That just means our family will be bigger. You know getting all this stuff… it is like dealing with a real baby. I can’t imagine what it would be like with the real thing.”  
Madison shrugged. “We’ll figure it out when that happens,” Madison commented as she unraveled the leash and attached it to the harness.  
Charlie choked on his spit and thanked the mask for hiding his flaming face. “Y-yeah. I’ll get Ghost out of the car.” He used that to get his mind focused and his heart to stop racing. Madison loved tripping him up.   
Ghost jumped out of the car where they had left him in the backseat so he didn’t get into anything. He barked with his eyes full of excitement at his human parents. “Come here Ghost. You need a harness,” Madison said as she kneeled down to the dog’s level.  
Ghost stared at the harness apprehensively. After being out on the street so long, it wasn’t strange to Madison or Charlie that he wouldn’t look at a harness favorably. It probably seemed like a cage to the dog. “Hey, it’s okay boy. It’s not going to hurt you. Let Mommy put it on.” He scratched the top of the dog’s head.  
Hearing the parental term, Madison almost dropped the harness out of her hands. She had never had someone call her that. It was a nice title. “Come Ghost. We are going to go for a walk.”  
It was like Ghost was contemplating her offer before finally going up to her and reluctantly sitting at her feet. Madison could see the grumpiness written all over. “Well this is going to be fun,” Charlie said.

By some miracle, Madison and Charlie were allowed into the animal clinic where they had taken Ghost to be checked out. They were nervous as they waited in their chairs, fingers entwined tightly. Ghost sat at their feet just looking at the room they were in. His curiosity was something to distract from their serious worries about his health.  
“Do you think there will be any major issues,” Charlie asked worrying his bottom lip.   
Madison frowned at seeing Charlie so anxious. “It will be fine. I promise,” she soothed as she stroked along his brow bone. Charlie’s hunched shoulders relaxed and he practically fell back against the plastic chair. It was when they were away from others that they could let their guards down and just be. “Better?”  
Charlie sighed. “Mm yeah,” he breathed out. Madison ran her hand up and carded her fingers through Charlie’s recently cut “Luke” hair. Seeing how content Charlie was warmed Madison’s heart. The two may have shown great confidence the day before but were truly scared shitless so to speak about being horrible pet parents.   
The novelty of being in the exam room had worn off for Ghost and he laid down at their feet. Madison laughed and reached down with her left hand to give him a few pets. Charlie watched them with a source of happiness he couldn’t explain.   
The quiet was interrupted by a vet coming in, masked and ready. “Good morning. Who do we have here,” the man asked as he spotted Ghost. Said dog was looking at the new person with interest.   
At the sight of the vet, Madison and Charlie sat up straighter, their hands squeezing tighter than before. “Hello. This is our boy Ghost. We found him yesterday. We wanted to see what his health is really like.”  
The vet nodded as he prepped himself at the sink. “I see now. My name is Dr. Ramirez. I will be conducting his exam. I will have a vet tech help with doing samples to test for any issues. We will also make sure that he has all his shots necessary. Sound good.”  
Madison and Charlie nodded.  
Dr. Ramirez put on his gloves. “Perfect. Would you like to come up here Ghost?”

A painstaking hour later and Ghost was free from the exam table. The dog was curled up in Madison’s lap all groggy. “Well besides his malnourishment and some need for dental check ups, Ghost is doing well. We also have determined he is about a year old.” Madison and Charlie both let out their breaths in relief. “Now onto the medicine. I am prescribing Ghost some heart worm and flea/tick pills and a muscle and bone supplement to go along with the diet he is going to be on. I will want him back in so we can do his teeth soon if you are able.” Madison and Charlie looked at each other in silent conversation. They seemed to make a decision.  
“That’s fine. We can do that. Whenever he can be fit in.”  
Dr. Ramirez nodded as he wrote things down on a chart. “Good, good. The only thing that I need is a last name to put down.” The new pet parents looked at him in confusion. “We consider the pets that come to us as family members to their owners. As such they have last names put down in our system. What is Ghost’s?” He readied his pen to write it.  
A silent conversation happened again. Finally they made up their minds. “Reyes-Gillespie,” they said in unison.   
“His name is Ghost Reyes-Gillespie,” Charlie reiterated. 

It was so good to finally be back at the rental everyone was staying in for the duration of filming. The pet parents were unloading everything they bought and setting it up where it needed to go. “Remember to set the bowls down where Owen won’t trip over them,” Madison reminded as she filled Ghost’s new treat container.   
“Got it. Do you want Ghost’s shampoo and conditioner here or in the bathroom?”  
Madison fished around one of the bags, looking for the poop bags to put inside the canister. “Uh you can put them under the sink for now. Did you grab his poop bags out already?”  
Charlie popped his head out from under the sink. “I think so. With his other walking stuff. By the way did you really buy a shirt for him?”  
Madison balled up the empty bags as she checked what was on the counter. “Of course. He deserves something nice.”  
Charlie walked up behind her snagging some cookies they had gotten. “Master has presented Dobby with clothes,” he recited from the movie.   
Madison shook her head. “You are such a dork.”  
Charlie gave her his charm smile as he bit down on a cookie. “I know you love me,” he teased with a wink as he turned to look at their boy. Ghost was rolling around in his new bed in his own little world.  
“You think he’ll fall asleep there tonight?”  
Charlie rolled his eyes as he munched on the cookie. “Not a chance. He is a needy boy. And he loves his Mommy’s cuddles.”  
Madison smirked over at him. “Are you sure he’s the needy one?”  
Charlie nearly choked on the last of his cookie. He coughed a few times while trying to hide the embarrassment clear on his face. “Y-you are evil. Are you trying to kill me?”  
He watched as she turned away from him with that smirk still planted on her face. “Not yet,” she replied as she went to the fridge for actual food. 

Everyone was relaxing around the common area of the rental. Ghost was having fun and running around with Owen’s sock. The blond was chasing him around the couch while the recently arrived Booboo watched on in merriment. “Come on! Give it back,” Owen cried.   
Madison was recording the scene to put on to her Instastories. “I don’t think he’s listening,” Charlie taunted.  
The drummer and dog had rounded to the front of the couch again. They knocked into Jeremy who almost dropped his acoustic on his face. “Watch it, man,” he grumbled. Ghost climbed up on the couch between Booboo and Carolyn and rocketed himself into Charlie’s arms. Owen ended up half laying on Booboo as he reached forward to catch Ghost.   
“And it is Ghost- 1, Owen- 0,” Madison said as she put her phone down.   
“Uh Owen. As much as I love hanging out, you are kind of suffocating me,” Booboo said, his face barely out from under Owen’s shoulder.   
Owen scrambled off of him, his face beat read. “S-sorry Boo.”  
Jeremy scoffed. "What about me!?”  
Owen rounded on Jeremy with a glare. “Not everything is about you Jeremy,” he sassed.   
The others laughed as Jeremy grumbled under his breath. “Gotta love Owen trying to go against a little dog,” Charlie joked. Owen crossed his arms with a pout on his face. “Don’t be like that. How about in exchange for your sock, you take a photo of us with Ghost? Deal?”  
Owen rolled his eyes and huffed. “Fine.” He walked around the couch and took Charlie’s phone and his sock that Madison had to wrestle out of Ghost’s mouth. Owen grimaced as he grabbed his soaked and torn sock with two fingers. That was a pair of socks in the trash alright.   
“Make sure you get a good angle,” Charlie said as he held Ghost on one side and Madison got his other side, the dog between them.   
“Got it. Ready,” the blond asked as he held up the phone.  
“Ready,” his bandmates said. Owen took the photo and handed back Charlie’s phone to him while Madison put Ghost down. The dog quickly scampered away and crawled underneath the coffee table.   
Charlie quickly went to his Instagram to post the photo. “Should we both post,” he asked Madison as she looked over his shoulder at what he was doing.  
“Yeah. That way everyone sees it.” Charlie nodded as he set up the post on his Instagram. He clicked and the photo of them and Ghost was available to the world wide web.  
Charlie was on the left of the photo with his hair all messed up. He was wearing a Julie and the Phantoms shirt with a Guns and Roses design. Madison was on the right and had her long dark curls pulled into a half up half down style. She was in a classic I ❤️ NY shirt that was tied at the bottom to show her midriff. They were both beaming with humongous smiles as they held Ghost between them who had his tongue out almost like he was smiling.

The matching Instagram posts from the duo were captioned as followed: We are parents now! This is the new addition to the Phantom family. This is our doggy son. Say hello to Ghost Reyes-Gillespie!


	4. First Night at Home

AN: You guys know the spiel by now. Anyway, this chapter is pure parenting cuteness and awkwardness. Have fun with the new parents.

\-----------------

Madison handed Ghost over to Charlie. The dog nestled his head against the crook of the man’s elbow with already half lidded eyes. “Okay you take him tonight. We alternate every night. And remember to set your alarm tomorrow morning so we can get up and take Ghost for a walk before we have to leave for set.”

Charlie rolled his eyes with a small lopsided grin. “I know Mads. You’ve drilled it into my head for the past two hours now.”

Madison wrung her hands in her sleep shirt. “I’m sorry. It’s just…this is the first time I am going to be away from him and I want to make sure he’s going to be okay.”

Charlie’s eyes softened at her admission. “Don’t be. He’s our boy. And we are going to be a little over the top since we just got him.”

Madison’s head tilted a little to the side as she smiled up at him. “You’re right. So…if anything just text or call.”

Charlie smiled right back at her. “Will do. Bonne nuit, Mads,” he said in almost a whisper.

Madison’s eyes shined in the lowlight of the hallway. “Night, Charlie.” She stroked Ghost’s cheek, her lips turned up at seeing him knocked out in Charlie’s arms.

Charlie watched Madison walk down the stairs with her father before turning to his bedroom. He could tell that Owen was asleep because there was a lack of Broadway blasting through the walls. He sighed in relief. That would make it easier on him to adjust to having Ghost with him.

He set the dog down near the end of the bed and slipped underneath the covers. If the night before was any indication, Ghost was sure to be out for a long while. He wouldn’t have to worry about the dog waking him up. Before actually laying down he made sure to set the alarm on his phone. Madison would never forgive him if he messed up on their first real night as pet parents. They had something to prove after all.

Once he was all set, he actually let himself relax in the bed. He watched Ghost’s chest rise and fall steadily. His eyes because unfocused as the time ticked by. He could feel the Sandman’s powers slowly taking over. His near asleep state was ruined at the sound of a ding on his phone. He lazily rolled over and checked his phone to see it was a text from Madison. He didn’t have enough energy to roll his eyes. Her text read: **Can’t wait to start our new life together with Ghost. See you in the morning.**

Charlie had a sleepy smile on his face as he fired back a text to her. **Me too. Now get your rest so you are extra beautiful.** 😘He clicked the side button and his phone was shut. It was time to sleep. His eyes fell shut, Sandman finally claiming him for the dream world.

He didn’t know why but he could feel the blanket on him and the slightly cool air in the room. Why? There was some rustling at the end of the bed. Did Owen sneak in to prank him while he was sleeping? He heard a pained cry. GHOST! He fought to open his eyes, the sleep trying to pull him back. With all his might he fought to keep his heavy lids up.

Ghost was thrashing around on the top of the blanket. Charlie crawled over to him to see if he was hurt. Nothing seemed wrong and what was stranger was that Ghost still had his eyes closed. He was….having a nightmare. He never knew that dogs could have nightmares. But that was here nor there. He had to wake the dog out of the horror he was experiencing in his head.

“GHOST! Wake up boy! Come on! Listen to Daddy’s voice,” he cried. His eyes pricked with tears as the time ticked by with no change. He checked his phone to see that it was about two in the morning. He looked at it contemplating if he should do what he was thinking of. Another howl of agony came from Ghost. Fuck it! Their dog was in pain. He speed dialed Madison.

He stroked Ghost’s head in the hopes it would pull him out of the nightmare. Madison picked up on the third ring. “Charlie? W-what’s wrong,” she grumbled out, her voice laden with sleep.

“I need you _now_!” He heard Madison rushing out of her bed. She didn’t need any other words to know something was very _very_ wrong.

“What happened,” she asked in one quick breath.

Charlie kept shaking Ghost to snap him awake. “I don’t know,” he shouted into the phone.

“Give me fifteen seconds,” she replied hurriedly and clicked an end to the call.

Charlie’s eyes flashed to Owen when he heard his door open. “Charlie? W-what is going on?” Fear swirled in Owen’s eyes as he looked down at Ghost still in the throws of his nightmare. Before Charlie could even try to articulate words, Madison had burst through the door. She had spared no time to fix herself with her hair out and wild, a long sleep shirt on, and her blue Lion slippers from Voltron. She immediately climbed onto the bed and grabbed Ghost. She cradled him in her arms and rocked him as best as she could.

Her father came in after, taking in large gulps of air. It seems that she had woken him up in her haste to get to Ghost. “W-what happened,” he asked in a loud voice. No one answered him. They were too focused on Ghost. The Jack Russell Terrier’s cries had quieted and he was not moving as much as before.

Charlie and Madison watched as Ghost’s eyes opened. He looked up at his human mother with bleary eyes. “Hey baby,” she said to him in a soft yet scared voice. “Did you have a bad dream? You gave Daddy and I quite a fright.” Charlie scooted closer to her to put his hand on her shoulder and pull her and Ghost into his chest.

She and Charlie had tears slipping out as they held their boy close to them. “You really are a dramatic one, aren’t ya,” Charlie joked as he held back a sob. He had felt so helpless when he couldn’t get Ghost awake. But sometimes all a little one needed was a mother’s touch.

“Do you think he was having a panic attack in his sleep,” Owen asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. He didn’t want to startle the dog nor his friends.

Madison and Charlie shook their heads. “Who knows. Do you think we should take him into Dr. Ramirez?”

Madison shook her head. “We have to establish a pattern. Just because this happened once doesn’t mean it will happen again. As much as I want to have him checked over…we can’t rush him in for every little thing. We don’t need unnecessary vet bills.”

Charlie nodded as he stroked Ghost’s floppy ears. Madison was so much wiser than he expected when it came to this. He didn’t know when she had the time to look up stuff for pet parenting or if she just innately knew it.

Ghost let out a weak yap and licked Charlie’s hand. “It’s okay Ghost. You’re safe. You are with Daddy and I. Nothing bad is going to happen to you.” Madison put her hand over Ghost’s chest where his heart was. She felt its beat. Just so she could make sure he was okay. His heartbeat was not rhythmic. It pounded hard. He was still scared. She tucked him closer to her. “Mommy has you,” she whispered to him. Charlie put his head on her shoulder and stroked Ghost’s head softly. They don’t know how long they sat there with Madison rocking Ghost back and forth to calm him down.

The silence was broken by Ricardo. “Do you think he’s okay now?” The three rockers jumped at the sound of his voice. They had forgotten he was there as they had their eyes on Ghost.

Madison turned her head towards her father. “I think so. He is breathing normally now and is no longer crying. He even closed his eyes again.” Madison carefully set Ghost down on the bed, the dog still curled up. Charlie put his hand in front of Ghost’s mouth to feel his soft even breaths. He nodded over at Madison so she knew it was all good. “Well I guess we’ll get back to bed. If something comes up again, you know what to do.” She got out of the cage of limbs that Charlie had wrapped around her and off the bed.

Owen stood up as well. “I need to get some sleep too. I have some scenes with Booboo tomorrow. I’ll leave me door unlocked if you need me. Night.” He walked over to the door to his room. He gave a wave and slipped inside.

Madison yawned as she stretched. “We’ll only have like four hours of sleep but at least it will be something. Goodnight Charlie.”

Charlie gave her an exhausted smile. “I’ll take whatever I can get. Night Mads. You too, Ric.” He pulled up the blanket and shuffled underneath. Mads stood at the doorway and gave him one last smile. With that, she closed the door behind her. Charlie fell out as soon as his head hit the pillow. Emotional turmoil had a tendency to do that to you.

He was awoken seemingly seconds later by Ghost whimpering. He looked over to the dog to see that he was actually awake this time. The dog was sitting and staring at him. There was no way he had to go to use the bathroom. He and Madison made sure to take him out before going to bed. Charlie watched Ghost walk to where Madison had sat earlier. He sniffed the spot, whimpered and dropped down with a grumpy face. Oh no. He was a Mama’s Boy! Charlie grabbed one of the pillows and screamed into it. It was just his luck. Madison was not going to like it.

Charlie stalled on calling her again in the hopes that Ghost would settle down and go back to bed. Instead the dog looked at the door imploringly as if to wish Madison back. Charlie couldn’t resist the sad face. He may not be able to sing or have balls after making the call, but at least his dog son would be happy.

Not even a minute after calling, Madison had trudged back up the stairs to his room. She was glaring at Ghost for ruining her sleep…again. “You really won’t sleep, huh,” she asked rhetorically. Ghost simply wagged his tail and threw himself on his back for stomach rubs. Charlie tried to cover his snickers at the small dog’s audacity. Madison’s eyes cut to him. He immediately stopped in fear of her wrath.

“Maybe we can sing him to sleep,” Charlie suggested.

Madison threw her hands up. “Might as well. Otherwise we’ll be up all night with him. She dropped down on Charlie’s bed. Ghost walked up to her and rubbed his head against her leg. “You are really a baby.” This made Ghost wag his tail. Madison shook her head. He was too much.

Charlie had gotten up to grab his acoustic. He sat back down with his legs crossed and his acoustic propped on his lap. “Okay. What song do you think will do the trick?”

Madison scratched behind Ghost’s ears. “I don’t know. Won’t any lullaby work?”

Charlie shook his head as he tuned the guitar. “You know some songs are better than others. It has to be just right to get him back to sleep.”

Madison bit her lip as she thought it over. “Well…what about Pentatonix?”

Charlie’s eyes narrowed as his nose scrunched up. “They have a lullaby?”

Madison didn’t even bother with rolling her eyes. “Yes. You know…the one the bass lead on?”

Charlie thought about it. “Oh yeah. Now I remember. How does it go again?” Madison grabbed Charlie’s phone. “September 17, 2019,” he said as she turned the phone on.

Madison quickly put in the numbers. “The start of filming? Thought maybe it would be your birthday.”

Charlie shrugged. “That is too easy and besides anyone can look up my birthday.” Madison hums in agreement as she finds the sheet music for the lullaby. She shows it to Charlie. Okay…so we start with this….Close your eyes/Lay your head down/Now it’s time to sleep,” he sings as he plucks the strings of his guitar to the melody. 

Madison joins in with the backing vocals as she settles Ghost between them. She can tell his eyes are drooping even though he keeps shaking his head to stay awake. She rubs his belly, only serving to relax him more. Her voice peters off the same time as Charlie’s and he plays the last few chords on his acoustic. The two look down at their boy as small puffs of air come from his mouth. “He’s out.”

“He sure is.” Charlie yawned. “I can barely keep my eyes open.”

Madison nodded. “Same. I am too tired to go back downstairs.”

Charlie set his acoustic against the nightstand. “You wanna go in Owen’s room?” There was an unspoken rule that they weren’t to sleep in the same bed.

Madison shook her head. “No. I want to stay with you and Ghost.” Charlie smiled and laid down. He didn’t even bother putting the blanket over himself. Madison mirrored his actions and got comfortable. The two locked eyes as they let sleep take them with Ghost sleeping in between them.


	5. Morning Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Should I have to do the same thing every time? Just read the previous ANs. Anyway, so this chapter establishes the start of several habits for Madison and Charlie. They walk Ghost every morning before going to set. They get the same coffee that they share from the same Timmies. They'll also hold hands while walking Ghost and sometimes without him. Besides that, Charlie is oblivious to other females. The battle between Ghost and Owen continues in this as well. Enjoy!

Madison was the first to force her eyes open when she heard the alarm from Charlie’s phone. In the few seconds she had to herself she saw the scruffy dog in sleeping bliss and Charlie opposite her. His hair was a mess against the pillow. She could lay there and stroke Ghost’s whiskers or count every individual eyelash on Charlie. This…she felt at home here.

Charlie broke from sleep about a minute after she did. His hazel eyes immediately caught her deep brown. They were still laced with sleep in the most endearing way. She had a small smile on her face. In the dim light of the room, her skin had an even deeper richness to it than usual. Ghost was tucked securely between them like the pup he was. He let the image before him sink in. He didn’t want to forget it.

Thanks to pure determination, Madison and Charlie were able to get up and take Ghost out. They were walking rather leisurely with Ghost trotting along in front of them. All three seemed to want to take it easy after the stress of the night before. “Last night was difficult but at least we can decompress before work,” Charlie said as he held the leash.

“True. It is a bit chilly but it feels nice.” Charlie grabbed her hand and started rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand to warm them up. “Won’t be able to get the numbness out while we’re walking.”

Charlie bit his lip. “How about a coffee? You can hold onto the cup.” Madison would argue but she knew they were bound to be outside for over half an hour.

“Okay. Nothing basic.” Charlie clutched his chest with the hand that wasn’t holding Ghost’s leash.

“Me? Basic? What blasphemy!” Madison just stared him down. “So I like the flavors of the month. Sue me? I see a Timmies across the street. I’ll go get it. You take Ghost?” He held the leash towards her.

“Sure. I’ll make sure he actually craps. Make it a medium.” Charlie saluted to her.

“Yes m’am. I’ll be right back.” Madison shook her head as she saw the goof run across the street.

Charlie stood in line, making sure to keep six feet apart from the people in front and behind him. He had gazed up at the menu board to get an idea of what would work best. His hands were stuffed in his pockets to keep them a bit warmer. He couldn’t help but look back out the window to see if he could spot Madison and Ghost. He was able to catch her long curls swaying behind her as she walked Ghost down the other sidewalk.

He was brought back to where he was when he heard the barista call for the next person in line. He slid forward up to the counter. “What can I get ya,” the blonde woman asked. Charlie perused the menu board one more time.

“Uh just get me a medium double double with two shots of expresso, some caramel syrup, and whipped cream. That will be all, thanks.” Considering that the two of them had little sleep and had a busy day ahead, having something with lots of sugar and caffeine was a must.

The barista smiled at him through the clear window of her face mask as she put his order into the cash register. “That will be four dollars and sixteen cents.” Charlie rustled around his pocket and pulled out four loonies and a quarter. “Thank you.” She took the change from him and quickly put it in the cash register and handed over nine cents back to him. “There you go. Your drink will be out momentarily,” she finished with another smile. She certainly was a happy one. Maybe it was all the coffee? He mentally shrugged. He wasn’t all awake upstairs to really think too much about it.

While he waited at the counter, he checked his phone to see if Madison texted him. He bit the inside of cheek not to laugh at the boomerang she sent him of her with an exaggerated smile, jumping up and down with a thumbs up. It looked like Ghost had succeeded in using the bathroom.

“Your order is ready sir,” the perky blonde said. He pulled his eyes away from his phone and smiled politely, as best he could through the mask, at the woman.

“Oh. Thanks.” He grabbed the drink and could feel the heat from the coffee warming his hand almost instantly.

The barista smiled at him again. “Of course. Please do come again.”

Charlie nodded good-naturedly and turned to leave so he could get back to his family.

Madison was trying to stop Ghost from circling the tree for the fourth time when she saw Charlie walk up with a cup of coffee in hand. “Just one?”

Charlie shrugged. “Figured it would be easier to hold one instead of juggle two with Ghost.” Madison nodded at the logic. “Willing to share?”

Madison took the coffee, a smile gracing her lips. “Considering I’ve had to pull a guitar pick out of your teeth before, that’s completely fine with me.”

Charlie facepalmed at the moment being brought up. When recording the second season album the previous week, he had been messing with the pick and it had gotten stuck between two of his teeth. “Please don’t.”

Madison just laughed at his plight. “You’ll learn one of these days not to play with your picks. Now let’s get a move on before Ghost ties me to this tree.” Charlie looked past her to said dog who was really winding himself around the tree. He shook his head. Ghost was lucky he was so cute.

Madison and Charlie strutted down the sidewalk on their way back to the rental. They were singing This Band is Back with Ghost adding in every few lines. “ _Can you (yes we can)/ Can you hear me/Loud and clear?/We gotta get, wanna get, we gotta get ready/Cause it’s been years, hey_ ,” they sang together. Ghost came in with a perfect harmony. No one could say dogs didn’t have musicality.

They were swinging their hands together as they went. If anyone were to see the two of them and their dog, they’d swear they were filming some campy show or movie. The cheese was real. “Do you think Owen will be awake by the time we get back,” Madison asked as they slowed their walk.

“Not even a little. You know….that does give me an idea, though.” Madison could practically see the little horns peeking out from Charlie’s hair. His little evil mind was at work.

Madison squeezed his hand a little as she replied. “What are you getting back at him for with this?”

Charlie gave her a devilish grin at her question. It was very fitting. “Funny you should mention that. Before you got in, Owen thought it would be funny to plaster printouts of screenshots he took of fangirls thirsting over me ALL over my room.”

Madison’s mouth dropped. “So that’s why you weren’t at the airport to greet me with the others…”.

Charlie narrowed his eyes as he thought back to all the printouts he had to rip off every surface of his room. “I think he did it so he could see you first.” Madison’s lips twitched as she tried not to laugh at Charlie’s grumpiness. “Stop it. He’s just jealous that I’m your favorite.”

Madison smirked at him. “I don’t know. I think I might blonds more.”

Charlie scoffed at her. “Sure you are. Now here is the idea I have…”.

The excitement had been building up for the two of them as time ticked down to the start of the prank. Madison finished off her routine on her curls. She looked over herself in the mirror to be sure that she didn’t look busted. “So I have my phone all set up so we can catch everything. What’s your password so we can connect my video on here?” Charlie had come up to the doorway of the bathroom with her phone in his hand.

“Zero-six-eleven-twenty-nineteen,” she replied back with her eyes focused on applying her lipstick in the mirror. Charlie’s fingers flew over the iPhone screen and he seemed to be at work in getting their viewing experience set up. “While you are on there, check to make sure that the charges from yesterday are pending.”

“Got it, Mads.” As a part of setting ground rules with her parents the day before, Madison had made it clear that she wanted full control of all her accounts including financial. She and Charlie had not been making light of each taking on half of Ghost’s care.

Speaking of her parents, she saw her father stumble over to her and Charlie as he rubbed his eyes. Her mother had left the evening before so her dad was going to be there with her during filming like last time. “W-when did you get up? I didn’t hear you get of bed.”

Madison did one last separation of her curls before turning to her father. “Ghost had trouble again last night and I slept upstairs with the boys.” It wasn’t exactly the truth but not a lie either. She knew Ric wouldn’t like the fact she and Charlie slept in the same bed alone. Charlie was known for being touchy feely.

Ric stared at her bleary eyed for a few seconds. “…Oh. You are already ready. He looked on the floor around him. “Wait….where’s Ghost?”

Madison and Charlie looked at each other with matching smirks. “Funny you should say that, Dad.”

Madison and Charlie were buzzing as they gave Ghost the go ahead. The dog barked accordingly as he was let into Owen’s room. It was a grave mistake to have left it open for them. They scampered back to their hiding spot in the common area so they could watch the prank.

Being a Jack Russell Terrier, Ghost was built for crawling into tight spaces and being quiet. He easily slipped underneath Owen’s bed with his get up on. He laid there a few seconds to settle himself and hear for any movement from the human above him. With the coast clear, Ghost shook his body and an eery sound emanated from the jingling jacket put on him.

Owen groaned and moved a little on the bed. He didn’t wake up but clearly the sound had permeated his sleeping ears. Ghost shook himself again and let out a high pitched whine. This time Owen shifted considerably. “W-what was that?” He was definitely mostly asleep and thought he was dreaming. He threw himself back to the bed as if to force away what he heard. But Ghost wasn’t having that.

Ghost jumped under the bed and caused the mattress to have a lump for a split second. Mixed with the sound coming from the jacket, it left quite the impression. He did the same thing a few more times so that Owen knew it wasn’t a one off. “WHAT THE FUCK!?” Owen jumpedup and almost twisted his ankle as he stumbled from the bed.

With Owen out of the bed, Ghost slinked his way to the other side of the bed away from him. He used his short stubby tale to tap against the wall. With no lights on, it almost seemed to echo throughout the room. “W-w-what’s that sound?” Owen was definitely afraid now. Ghost could see the shadowy figure of the drummer moving his head in all directions as he tried to detect where the source was coming from.

The dog hid behind the curtain and pulled the blinds up, shining the rising sun into the room. Owen let out a short scream at the sudden appearance of light. “O-okay, Ch-ch-Charlie, h-how’d you do that,” he asked with a noticeable stutter.

When no response of laughter greeted the blond, his body stood straight up as the fear really hit. Ghost used that moment to tuck himself behind the TV stand and use it to amplify his low howl. With one more shake of his body, he raked his nails against the back of the wood stand. This was the last trick that was needed as Owen bolted from the room screaming.

“GHOST! GHOST!!!!! MY ROOM IS HAUNTED,” Owen screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran into the common area. Madison, Charlie, Ric, Jeremy, and Carolyn were looking at him with tears of laughter running down their faces. Madison couldn’t handle the sight of her friend’s face and just laughed into Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie cackled evilly as he used Madison’s phone to look over the footage.

Owen stood there in complete shock. It was surely more than a minute before he blinked once and then his fair face was turning pink as the realization hit. “This was a prank!?” He stomped his foot indignantly. It only made the prank funnier as he was still in his My Little Pony pajama pants (courtesy of his little sister as a Christmas present). “You planned all this,” he growled as he pointed at Charlie.

Madison had calmed down enough to answer him. “We both did. Along with the star of the show,” she announced as the dog trotted in with a big smile on his face, “Ghost,” she finished as she waved to the clever Jack Russell.


	6. Stage Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yada, yada, yada. You know the drill. So this one was just pure fun to write. We are starting to get into the plot a bit more. Owen's story is starting to appear in this. I wonder if anyone can guess what it will be about. Eddie Crane for the ones who don't know was a dog actor that was a Jack Russell Terrier. And when Madison mentions 'Ein', she is referring to a genius dog from the space western anime Cowboy Bebop (arguably one of the best anime ever). Enjoy!

Being on set was an experience. Ghost stuck with Charlie as he went over his lines with Jeremy and Owen. The blond kept shooting glares at Charlie for that morning. The guitarist had no doubt that Owen was planning revenge for his and Madison’s little prank.

“We don’t have all the answers but it doesn’t matter. We can physically touch Julie now,” Charlie recited from the script in his hands.

Owen looked down at his lines once more before replying as Alex. “You mean _you_ can touch Julie now,” he snarked.

Without missing a beat, Jeremy chimed in as Reggie. “I second that,” he exclaimed with a raised finger. Ghost gave a little bark then. The three twenty somethings looked at the small dog who was sitting in a chair opposite his human father. “I think Ghost makes three,” Jeremy joked.

Charlie rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t count,” he shot back. Ghost barked at him. It was like he was saying no. Charlie arched his brow and looked into the gray eyes of the pooch. “Fine. Ghost you can have a say.” Ghost barked again except this time his tail wagged.

Owen snickered. “I think your dog has a mind of his own.”

Charlie pinched the bridge of his nose. “Speaking of, Mads is still filming with Jadah, right?”

Jeremy pulled out his phone and looked at something. “Yeah, they should be. Why?”

Charlie swiveled his head to the bassist. “Because I am going to drop off Ghost to her. You wanna see your Mommy, Ghost,” he asked the dog in exaggerated excitement. Ghost wagged his tail and barked, hitting his front paws against the table they were all sitting around.

“Already trying to shirk off daddy duties. A typical man,” Jeremy quipped.

Owen nodded his head with the oldest of the trio. “So true. What would Madison think? Turning her into a single mother like that.”

Charlie stared between the two, not knowing how to respond. Where did they….? How….? “I am not trying to abandon our dog!” It was all he could muster after the tag team assault on his parenting.

His fellow bandmates burst into laughter. “The look on your face, man!”

“He looked so offended,” Owen added as he fell into Jeremy’s shoulder with laughter.

Charlie’s brows furrowed and he scowled at them. Sadly he just looked like a grumpy dog who didn’t get his way. “I hate you both.”

“It’s too funny busting your chops,” Owen said. Goofing around seemed to help him from being as angry about the prank that morning. Charlie hoped he forgot all about it in truth. There was no trick that Owen wouldn’t pull to get back at him.

“Well you’ve had your laugh. Now how did the scene with Booboo go?” Owen and Booboo’s scene had been the first thing that had been filmed that day. He was currently _still_ in make up for the first episode’s ending scene.

Owen looked away, appearing to be more interested in the gray of the table. “It was good. Surreal though. Since Alex is having a flashback of the two of them spending time together….I get why Alex feels so lost….”.

Charlie and Jeremy looked at one another and then at their friend. Owen was quiet but he swore there was a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Charlie wasn’t sure what to think of Owen’s attitude and expression. He wished Madison was there. She was better at reading people than him.

“So….who wants to bug Mads and Jadah while they are filming,” Charlie asked as a way to break the silence. Jeremy and Owen smirked at him and Ghost barked happily. Well it seemed there was a consensus.

Charlie moseyed his way onto the set where Madison and Jadah were sitting on Julie’s bed. He could see that Kenny and the camera people were too busy checking the footage to notice him and his fellow set breakers.

Jeremy and Owen slipped up behind him with quiet steps. Ghost made up the rear and copied the humans with careful steps of his paws. The four sneaked up closer to the two girls who were talking between each other.

“Well if it isn’t Double Trouble in the flesh,” Charlie said softly, acting as if he was a massive fan.

Madison and Jadah turned their heads at hearing his voice. “Well if it isn’t my three headaches in the flesh,” Madison countered. Like the eye catching being he was, Ghost popped up from behind the three men and plopped himself in his human mother’s lap with his tongue sticking out cutely. “Ghost,” Madison exclaimed with shock.

All five actors’ faces were wide. The guys had made sure to stand clear of the cameras to not ruin the shot. Ghost didn’t appear to care and had just jumped right in without a second thought. At Madison’s exclamation, Kenny’s head snapped up and he saw the dog. “Is that your new dog there?”

Madison and Charlie gave strained smiles at the famed choreographer. “Uh….yes? Charlie was just bringing Ghost to visit me between takes,” Madison replied almost as if she wasn’t sure of the words coming out of her mouth.

“Y-yeah. And Ghost saw her and now we’ll be leaving. Right, boys,” Charlie answered with his face muscles twitching in his effort to not panic. They didn’t want Kenny to renege on allowing Ghost around.

Owen and Jeremy nodded furiously next to him. “Yup. We were just leaving. Got lots of ghost magic to learn,” Owen said awkwardly. Charlie caught Madison’s eyes. They were both thinking the same thing. Owen was an anxiety filled idiot.

Kenny didn’t react to Owen’s jumbled words. “Why don’t you guys get up and stretch while we finish looking over this footage. I am sure Ghost would like that.” The five looked at one another and shrugged. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, right?

Ghost loved being on set with Madison and Charlie. The crew fell in love with the spunky dog. He was a regular ol’ Eddie Crane from Frasier. It was Ghost’s world and everyone was just living in it. He soaked in the attention with little grace. It would be annoying if he wasn’t so cute. At least that is what Madison thought.

She couldn’t help filming him as he showed off his ability to dance to the beat that Owen played with hands on his thighs. “What kind of dog did we find,” she asked in awe.

Charlie shook his head as he drank some juice and watched Ghost’s display. “I have no idea. I’ve never seen a dog like him before. It was like he was made for the stage.

Madison laughed. “What if he was a performance dog before ending up on the street? That would be the biggest irony since we have him now.”

Charlie just smiled at her. Her happiness was infectious. They focused their eyes back on Ghost to see him and Jadah and Carolynn dancing. His little feet moving in time with the two of them was the most adorable thing. “Come on, Ghost. Show out,” Jadah encouraged the dog. She and Carolynn did the Stanky Leg.

“OH MY GOD,” Madison, Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy shouted as they saw Ghost move his back left leg as if he was trying to imitate the two.

Madison jumped up from her chair. “We got an Ein,” she shouted excitedly.

Jeremy hopped up and high fived her. “Yes!” Charlie just looked at them, completely lost. He guessed it was some anime/cartoon reference. Madison and Jeremy had a shared love of animation.

Jadah laughed and high fived Ghost with Carolynn following. “He’s the coolest dog ever. We got lucky he’s ours,” Jadah praised.

Madison smirked. “Well mine and Charlie’s but we can share him a little.”

As the day went on, Madison and Charlie could definitely attest to Ghost being a stage dog. He was not shy when it came to the camera. He hammed it up even when he had the camera on him. Thanks to the fact he always wanted to be with his human parents, he had found himself in scenes throughout the day. It was the to the point that it was hard for Madison and Charlie to brush off. It had to be addressed. The issue was how.

“What do we do about Ghost putting himself on screen?”

Charlie rubbed the side of his face as he tried to come up with a solution. “How good is editing again?”

Madison gave him her signature deadpan look when he did or said something dumb. “That doesn’t even deserve a response,” she drawled out with sass and crossed arms.

Charlie scratched at his head. “Uh….how often does he appear? Do we know? Maybe the actual shots aren’t that bad.”

Madison tilted her head as she thought over that. “…True. Maybe we can turn this in our favor.”

Charlie’s eyes scrunched up. “What do you mean by that?”

Instead of replying, Madison grabbed his hand and dragged him out of his chair as she started walking. “Come on. I have an idea.”

In the matter of only a couple of days, they were again waiting to speak to Kenny. This time was less nerve wracking than last. Except Charlie didn’t know what they were speaking to him about. He glanced over at Madison who rolled her eyes at the confusion on his face. “Stop it. Your nerves are getting to you again. We don’t need you putting your foot in your mouth again.”

Charlie’s face reddened instantly. He was never going to live it down. _Never_. “Okay. I’ll follow your lead.”

Madison nodded. “Good idea.”

It was then that they saw Kenny step around the corner. “Kids, do you have something for me? A song or something?”

Madison shook her head. “No. Not this time, Kenny. We actually wanted to know if we could look over the footage from today with you. We know Ghost was pretty eager to follow us around. He obviously got into some of the shots.”

Kenny nodded as he listened to the actress. “I see nothing wrong with that. And if I remember correctly, he did come in a few times.”

“Yeah, we just wanted to make sure he didn’t break the flow of the scenes is all,” Charlie said, hoping he was going in the right direction that Madison wanted. He could see an almost imperceptible nod from her. He mentally sighed in relief.

“Exactly. If it isn’t too much trouble if he gets in a shot or two,” Madison added.

Kenny rubbed his chin. “I did hear from everyone that Ghost is quite the little entertainer. Why not allow him in every episode. Like an easter egg. That way he can have his fun and you two can keep an eye on him.”

Madison and Charlie were speechless. They looked at each other and then back at man. “A-are you serious,” they asked in unison.

Kenny smiled. “Of course. It will be another fun game for the fans. Instead of Where’s Waldo we have Where’s Ghost.”


	7. Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I got some people upset. Even though I put a disclaimer and continue to put one. This fic is wholesome fun between friends, a dog, and the love of music. There are romance elements but I am not shoving anything down anyone's throats. We're good? Okay.
> 
> Anyway, I wanted to incorporate this because Madison has mentioned it before. Also Charlie is teasing her in this to get her motivated. There are also signs of their chemistry on display. For the French that Charlie speaks, I had help with that from Ninabrm. They were kind enough to make sure Charlie sounded natural. 
> 
> Meanings of the French sentences: 1. French is the language of love for a reason 2. You are feisty when you're angry. 3. Read my lips 4. My little cabbage
> 
> What Madison says in Spanish kind of like saying honey.
> 
> Shout out to dyslexia awareness! Enjoy!

The bad thing about filming in the spring was the fact that Madison still had to do school work. So to her great chagrin she was sitting in the school room on set. Thankfully Ghost was a real one and had decided to keep her company while she sat and studied. She really hated school. It was tedious and over complicated. She just wanted to be done with it so that she could be with her boys more often.

She absentmindedly scratched the top of Ghost’s head as she read from the book in front of her. With her dyslexia, reading and writing was a challenge but it was more difficult this time around because she wasn’t looking at words in English. It was like she was dealing with alphabet soup with how the letters just jumbled up before her eyes.

It was a fight not to cry in frustration. She knew that being neuro divergent wasn’t a cake walk. But she had hoped that her mind would be able to connect the words she heard over the years with what was in the book. There was an obvious disconnect. And it was causing a horrible thumping along the temple on her left side.

“I don’ t think you have laser vision to burn the book, Mads.” Madison snapped to attention at the voice to see Charlie sitting across from her. He was relaxed with his arms crossed and laying on the table.

Madison rolled her eyes. “Well duh. I am just trying to focus is all.” Ghost looked up from resting his head on his mother’s lap and barked a greeting to his father.

“Hello to you, too, boy.” Charlie leaned forward to spy on what she was reading. “That doesn’t look like your regular school work. What are you doing?” Madison didn’t see a point in avoiding the topic. Charlie would simply pester her anyway.

“I am trying to learn Spanish. I really want to take it serious this time. What are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be filming?”

Charlie just gave her a charm smile. “Owen is doing his scene with Sav right now. And Jeremy is checking in with Care about the marketing. Besides, I wanted to see my family,” he said with a shrug.

Madison looked back down at the textbook in front of her to hide her smile. “Of course. Now I know something is bugging you. I can tell.”

Charlie groaned. “I don’t know how you do that. But yeah, I actually wanted to ask you about Owen.” Hearing their friend’s name, Madison’s head was up and her eyes on him.

“What do you mean? Is there something wrong with OPJ?”

Charlie shifted in his seat, looking at the table. “I don’t know. The other day…he was acting weird.”

Madison sighed. Charlie knew she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes again. “Acting weird how?”

Charlie thought back to the moment. “Well…he was…skittish….I guess you could say when him filming with Booboo came up. He avoided looking at us. It was like he didn’t really want to talk about it.”

Madison’s head tilted at the behavior Charlie described. She saw Ghost pick his head up again. It seemed he was also interested although she couldn’t imagine the dog knew what was going on. “That is definitely not like Owen. What was his face like?”

Charlie’s face screwed up as he tried to figure it out. “Uh….well….he was reserved and clammed up. His face also got red.”

Madison tapped her pencil on the book. “Maybe he’s adjusting? The Willex storyline is pretty heavy. Well more Willie’s but yeah…”.

Charlie nodded at the reasoning. He would still keep an eye on Owen just in case. “That makes sense. Owen does sometimes get overwhelmed by his anxiety.”

“Exactly,” Madison replied and returned her eyes to the book in front of her and mumbled the words as she followed along with her pencil.

Charlie watched her for a few seconds as she struggled. He could see the tension in her face. “Working on getting those Spanish language checks I see. You know it would probably better to learn French instead. I mean we _are_ in Canada. You’ll get even more work that way.”

Madison simply rolled her eyes. “See there’s the thing. I am Hispanic. And I live in America. Where Spanish is the second most widely spoken language. So no. French isn’t better.”

Charlie leaned forward enough that she could see his form out of the periphery of her vision. “Why not? French is a beautiful language. France is also where some of the biggest fashion houses are and you _do_ love fashion.”

Madison just dropped her pencil. There was no point in trying to study. Charlie was commanding her full attention. “Yes that may be so but that doesn’t mean that Spanish isn’t beautiful too. Words just roll off the tongue.”

Charlie smirked at her, his eyes alight with happiness and mischief. “ _C’est pas pour rien qu'on dit que l’français est le langage de l’amour_.”

Madison’s eye twitched at the satisfied look on the Canadian’s face. “You are really going to speak a language I don’t know just to prove a point. You are so conceited.”

“ _T’es bouillante quand tu t’énerves_.” Madison’s face flushed and her breathing was short. She was pissed. It was exhilarating seeing the fire in her eyes.

Madison straightened with the anger radiating off of her form. “Stop it! You just want to lord it over me that you can speak French.”

Charlie shook his head with a smile on his face. “No I’m not. I want you to get an idea of why the language is so loved. I love my culture you know.”

Madison growled at his nonchalant attitude. “Yeah right. It’s not like you speaking will make me suddenly understand.”

The two of them were only maybe an inch apart now, both leaning over the table. “Yes you can. I know you can. _Lis mes lèvres_.” He licked his lips and Madison could feel his breath fanning her face. Her eyes drifted to his lips for a second at the action.

“You like messing with me, don’t you?” Charlie smirked at her, his eyes shining brightly. Madison just wanted to slap the smirk off his pretty face.

Charlie just kept talking in French. The slight accent that he had in English came out full force when he spoke in his native tongue. The words floated into the air with such a sense of confidence and comfortability. She glared at him but that only seemed to fuel him to speak more.

“Now don’t be like that, _mon petit chou_ ,” he said with a toothy smile. Madison couldn’t stand his pearly white teeth and the curve of his lips. The only thing stopping her from tackling him to the ground and wringing his neck was the small dog at her feet who watched the two of them with curious eyes.

Madison narrowed her eyes. “I will find out what you just called me.” She knew that he called her my little something. She just had to figure out what the last word was.

Charlie smirked again. “Oh I am counting on it. Let’s see what that mind can do.” He stood back, breaking the intensity that had been surround them for the past few minutes. “As much as I want to stay, my phone just buzzed. I think I am needed for filming now.”

Madison rolled her eyes as she waved him off. “Yeah yeah. Leave when it gets too hot for you. Take your son with you.”

Ghost barked and walked to Charlie’s side. “Fine. It’s daddy-son time. See you later, Mads,” he called back as he left. Madison shook her head. She was stuck with the man.

Two days later and Madison was prepared this time around when Charlie strolled into the school room. Ghost was at his heels with his tail wagging. “The crew is almost done setting up for our first song of the season.”

Madison nodded as she flipped through notes. “That’s good. I am excited for us to get back into it.”

Charlie plopped down on the same chair he was in before, Ghost throwing himself down to relax. “Me too. I can’t believe that not only do we get to make a new album for the season but that the band will be making a debut EP outside the show.” Madison was still in shock herself. They had found out that morning that they were going to be a full on band with music separate from their characters. So that fall they were going to be in LA working on new songs and making videos.

“Don’t remind me. If I think about it too much I will turn into Owen.” Charlie chuckled. She wasn’t wrong. As soon as Owen had heard the news, he had needed to be away from others so he could process everything.

Charlie leaned forward to sneak a look at what she was looking over. “What’s all that?”

Madison looked up to meet his eyes. “These are the notes I have been taking. I wanted to prove to you why Spanish is essential. So I wrote down what you said in French the best I could to translate it into Spanish.”

Charlie’s mouth dropped open in an ‘O’ shape. “I really sparked something in you, huh.”

“You know I like to prove others wrong,” she replied with a shrug.

Charlie smiled at her confidence. “I knew you could do it. You are determined as all hell.”

Madison blushed at his compliment. He was just stating a simple thing but it was still nice to hear. “Yeah. I drove myself up the wall to figure it all out.” Charlie could never express enough how amazed by Madison he was. She was so much more than what others gave her credit for.

“Well all the stressing was worth it. You are learning Spanish now. You can feel more connected to your family and culture.”

Madison beamed at the praise. She was so lucky to have the most supportive person in the world as her best friend. “It was. In fact I even figured out what you called me. My little cabbage, really?”

Charlie’s awkwardness came out at the reveal. “Okay, I know it sounds strange in English but it is a common phrase. It is liking saying sweetheart.”

Madison shook her head. “French phrases are so weird. Well I got one for you now. You think you can handle it, _cariño_?”

Charlie smiled shaking his head in amusement. “Clever.” Charlie knew who the r sounded in Spanish and it had to start with a c. The n sound is what threw him off. He pulled out his phone and typed his approximation of the word into the Google search bar. He arched his brow at Madison a few seconds later. “Honey?”

Madison just smirked back. “Buzz buzz Charlie.” Ghost barked at them. Apparently he was tired of being ignored. He loved being the center of attention after all. “Oh don’t worry, we didn’t forget you’re our bebé.”

Charlie looked down at the dog. “Yup. Our little _enfant_.” Ghost tilted his head to the side, completely confused by his parents.


	8. A Surprise and Scott the Vocal Coach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Refer back to the last AN so I don't have to repeat myself. Anyway, I was SO excited to get to this chapter because my two favorites appear. I got a little carried away thanks to that, lol. Also I couldn't NOT include the first part of this chapter. I mean it NEEDS to happen. Also more anxious Owen. But we get to have more fun moments with them all. Enjoy!

Madison was fixing her curls in the mirror after getting ready. She and Charlie had gotten back from their daily morning walk with Ghost about an hour before. She was hoping to be ready early since today was a big day.

“Mad, your phone just dinged with some emails,” her dad called from the bedroom. Madison sighed. She couldn’t keep messing with her hair. It would look like a bird’s nest if she touched it too much.

“Coming,” she called back. She checked to make sure her clothes and minimal makeup were good before walking out to get her phone. Ricardo handed her phone to her as he finished tying his sneakers. “Thanks, Papi.” She opened up her email expecting the usual notifications from fans or stuff she subscribed to. Instead she saw an email from an unfamiliar address. She clicked on it. Her eyes and mouth widened as she read further down the email. NO! FUCKING! WAY! It had to be a joke.

She went back to the rest of her email to see she had one from her agent. She was about to click on it when her phone rang. It was her agent. She picked it up with shaking hands. “I-is it t-true,” she warbled out nervously. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It just didn’t seem real.

“Yes. It is. I am sure you saw the emails. They are serious and asked for you specifically. Congrats, Madison. I’ll let you soak it in. We’ll discuss more about it later, okay?”

Madison nodded dumbly as if her agent was there in front of her. “Okay,” she muttered in a daze. The phone call ended with a click except she still held it in her hands as the shock stilled her.

“Madison? What was that about? Honey?” Madison snapped out of her daze at hearing Ricardo’s voice. Instead of answering him, Madison ran out the room like a mad woman.

“OWEN, OWEN,” she screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran through the rental to the common area.

The blond looked up from his breakfast to see the Puerto Rican rushing towards him with flailing arms. “Woah, calm down, Maddie. Where’s the fire?”

Charlie looked up from feeding Ghost his breakfast. “Yeah, Mads. What’s got you so excited this early.”

Madison grabbed Owen by the shoulders causing him to almost stumble off the stool he was sitting on. “Owen….we got invited to the In the Heights premiere in June,” she screamed in his face.

It took barely a second for Owen to react. “WHAT!? ARE YOU SERIOUS!? WE’RE GOING TO THE PREMIERE,” he practically screeched in excitement. Charlie winced at the volume while Ghost hid his head in his father’s leg.

“YES,” Madison screeched back.

“OH. MY. GOD,” Owen replied as he jumped from his stool. The pianist and drummer grabbed each other’s hands and started jumping around and squealing like little school girls. By this point, Jeremy and Carolynn were there and looking between the over excited duo at the breakfast bar and Charlie whose face was full of exasperation.

“We were invited to the In the Heights movie premiere,” Charlie answered for them.

The two squealing rockers hadn’t let up and had somehow migrated to the living room area. “OH! I also get to perform at the movie’s after party,” Madison revealed when her and Owen stopped to relax for a second.

Hearing this, Charlie pushed Owen out of the way to wrap up Madison in his arms. “I am _so_ proud of you,” he gushed and kissed her cheek repeatedly and her hairline before spinning her around. The two of them laughed in glee, their eyes alight with happiness and excitement. Charlie put her down still holding her close. This did not deter Owen, Jeremy, and Carolynn from joining the hug. The band and Carolynn started jumping together and shouting. Seeing his parents hyped up, Ghost couldn’t help following along. He circled the group and barked and howled.

“Am I allowed to hug my own daughter now,” Ricardo’s voice was heard from a few feet away. The five stopped at hearing him. Owen, Jeremy, and Carolynn were quick to let go of Madison. Charlie did so reluctantly. He may have been just slightly possessive. Just slightly. But that was Madison’s dad. Parent trumped friend on the totem pole.

Madison laughed. “Sorry, Dad. We got a little carried away.” He shrugged it off and gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head.

“No problem, hon. I am just so happy you got this opportunity.” He let her go with a teary smile.

Madison was buzzing. “We get to meet Lin-Manuel Miranda,” she screamed. This ignited another round of excited shouting and jumping from the group of young adults and Ricardo laughing at seeing their glee.

Madison and Owen had spent half the morning just talking about In the Heights and their love of Lin-Manuel Miranda. Charlie didn’t mind being sidelined because he got to see the absolute joy in his two best friends’ faces. The only thing that had stopped them from it was Owen and Booboo’s vocal lesson for their duet. And that was why Madison and Charlie were currently on their way to crash it. Their day was expected to be insane just from the vocal lesson alone. The surprise about the movie premiere was just an added bonus.

The two slipped into the rehearsal space where they were sure to find the vocal coaches for the duet. Madison spotted the two easily. It helped that one was 6’3’’ and blond with broad shoulders. The other stood out just from his fashion sense and the air of coolness he possessed. Standing some fifteen feet away from Madison and Charlie were 3 time Grammy winning acapella powerhouses, Scott Hoying and Mitch Grassi.

The two acapella singers turned at hearing the door open. Scott bounded over like a giant golden retriever and snatched up Madison in a big hug. “Oh my god! You are too cute! I can’t believe we get to meet you finally,” Scott said, speaking a mile a minute. Madison could smell the scent of coffee on his breath.

Mitch laughed as he walked up. “Babe, put the poor girl down. I think you are going to suffocate her.” Scott looked down at his brunette counterpart and pouted. He relented and put her back on her feet.

“But Mitchy,” he whined, “I wanted to thank them for helping us!”

Madison settled herself as she asked, “Helping you? What do you mean?” Charlie and Ghost were just as curious.

Owen and Booboo had come up not being able to resist a good story. Scott and Mitch looked at one another. Scott nodded over to Mitch to explain. “Well Kenny contacted Jonathan, our manager, about writing a song for the characters Alex and Willie. That was back in February. So we were tasked with watching the first season, reading up on what was going to be the feel and plot of season 2 for them, and then write a song that fit them.” The four younger ones nodded as they listened. “After watching the show it really made us think about a lot of things. We are musicians through and through. It is what we feel we were born to do….When your character,” Mitch said, gesturing to Charlie, “talks about musicians never turning down the ability to perform, even for themselves, it resonated with us. And then Julie being inspired to sing because of the boys’ belief in her after such a tragedy….we started realizing that there was more to the show than meets the eye.”

Before he could continue, Scott muttered, “Transformers.” Mitch glared at him and slapped him upside the head so fast, the others almost didn’t catch it.

“Not the time, Scott,” he chastised.

Scott looked properly reprimanded. “Sorry.”

Mitch turned back to everyone else and continued on. “As I was saying, the show was more than we expected. When it got to episode 7 where the reality of the stamp came to light…it hit us hard. Losing everything before you got a chance to succeed. Then having regrets….it is not something anyone likes to think about. Being confronted with having things left unfinished and wishing you could change things….It makes you think. Willie risking everything so Alex could achieve his unfinished business…such selflessness….and then knowing that nothing meant more to the boys than being with Julie…..yeah the show made us reevaluate what we were doing with our lives and what was really important. So…we knew we didn’t want to leave this life with any regrets.”

After Mitch finished he looked over to Scott with love in his eyes and intertwined his left hand with Scott’s right. Scott smiled at him softly with the same look in his eyes. At this point 3/4ths of the band were hugging each other with tears streaming down their face and Booboo was trying to wipe the tears from his eyes. They all knew that Scott and Mitch had started dating the previous month. It had been a huge deal causing Twitter and Instagram to crash because ScomicheisReal had trended.

“That is such a beautiful story,” Charlie garbled out. Madison nodded against his shoulder. Ghost leaned against his parents knowing they needed the comfort.

Owen used Charlie’s shirt to clean his snot. Charlie was too emotional to notice though. “Now I feel extra single,” he cried.

Owen’s comment broke the melancholy air and everyone laughed. “Alright enough of our sappy story. Now it’s time to get you two in tune with your duet,” Mitch declared. Owen smiled adorably. He had been waiting to get to this moment. Booboo on the other hand had an awkward smile and Madison swore there was fear in his eyes.

Charlie high fived Madison. “Yes! Front seats to a Scömìche voice lesson.” It was too bad they didn’t have popcorn. Cause they were surely about to watch quite the show. Between Owen’s anxiety fueled rants, Scott’s blond moments, and Mitch’s quick temper, there was no way it was going to go smoothly. Madison and Charlie almost felt bad but it was overwhelmed by the potential hilarity to come.

“NO! Stop doing that! Open your mouth. Do I need to put a dental guard in your mouth to force it open,” Scott snapped at Booboo for the third time in a row. Booboo had not been doing so well. He was normally so confident and chill, but he was acting more anxious than Owen. Owen on the other hand had been taking to the lyrics quite well. It was the emotion that was failing for him.

“I’m sorry,” Booboo groaned. “This is hard!”

Scott crossed his arms and glared at him. “It shouldn’t be. You know the lyrics and you emote well when you act. What’s the problem?”

Booboo frowned. “I know but…I’ve never had to sing a song like this before. It is not like a kiddie song. I really have to put my all in.”

Scott sighed and massaged his temples. “This is going to take longer than I thought.” He looked over to Mitch with Owen. “How about you, babe?”

Mitch just shook his head with a grimace. “Owen keeps shutting down. I try to keep getting him to feel it and he just loses his voice.”

Owen looked conflicted. Madison wanted to rush over and comfort him. He was such a soft thing. “I know. We just….have never sang together before. It’s new.”

Mitch rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. “It’s okay. I get it. I am used to singing with Scott and the rest of the band. Doing solo stuff is nerve wracking.”

Scott was still grumpy about the lack of progress. “I just don’t get it. You two act opposite each other so well. The chemistry is there but as soon as you two try to sing it’s so dissonant.”

Mitch nodded with his hands on his hips. “Scott’s right for once.” Scott looked at his boyfriend offended. Mitch just waved him off. “Where is the disconnect so we can fix it?”

Booboo shuffled uncomfortably. “Honestly…I am not sure if I have the range for this. I know you tried to put it with our voices in mind but I can’t do it.”

Scott was looking stressed. Maybe he needed a snack because Madison was sure that he was ready to bite Booboo’s head off. “That’s impossible. I tested your range on the piano at the beginning of this. You can hit the notes. You are just scared.”

Mitch looked at Owen. The younger blond squirmed at Mitch’s intense stare. “It is hard to connect emotionally is all. I don’t know how Madison and Charlie do it.”

Hearing Owen mention them, the pet parents knew it was time to step in. He was going to completely break if they didn’t do something. Madison and Charlie walked up, with Ghost following behind, to the four to hopefully ease the tension.

“Well you know how Jeremy has to use his voice to convey everything when voice acting,” Charlie brought up. Owen and Booboo nodded. “Well it is the same with singing for us. We had to show Juke’s developing relationship with only our eyes and words. When you can’t touch someone in a scene, you learn to show what you feel with your eyes.”

Madison smiled at Charlie’s explanation and gave his hand a squeeze. “Yeah I really got to tell the difference in Charlie’s emotions through his eyes. It helps they change color too.”

Scott and Mitch leaned forward to look at Charlie’s face better. “Really? That’s kind of hot,” Scott said. Madison pulled Charlie a little more behind her and away from the famous duo. She knew they were committed to each other but she had to admit to herself she didn’t like it when people would flirt or hit on Charlie. She didn’t know why it bothered her but it did.

Seeing her protective attitude with Charlie she saw Scott and Mitch give each other a look with smirks on their faces. She didn’t know what that was all about but she really didn’t want to know. The singing duo’s minds were a scary place.

“Right….so think you can figure out how to get these boneheads to get this duet down?”

“Hey,” Booboo scoffed.

“Rude,” Owen grumbled.

Madison just shook her head. “You have permission to torture them as much as possible,” Madison instructed. “Get to it, Willex.”

“Work your mouth,” Scott yelled in Booboo’s face as he used his hands to try to get Booboo to move his mouth and open it. “And use your tongue. Come on!”

Booboo pushed his hands away. “This feels like assault.”

Scott glared at him again. “Trust me. If I was assaulting you, you’d know it.” Mitch’s eyes snapped to him with a lethal glare in his eyes. Scott gulped, fear evident. “You know I have a thing for brown eyed brunets,” he explained lamely.

“Try that again and my foot will be so far up that ass it will come out your mouth,” Mitch threatened. Booboo and Owen stepped back and closer together, equally scared of the older duo.

Seeing things not improving, Madison spoke up. “Maybe we should take a break. You have been at it for over an hour.”

“It’s only been an _hour_ ,” Booboo exclaimed, the color draining from his normally golden brown skin.

Madison and Charlie sighed, looking over at one another. “Maybe we _should_ have brought the popcorn,” Madison said, exasperated.

Charlie, with the same expression on his face, replied, “Yeah. Then at least we could have fed them when they started getting short.”

Scott had migrated back to the piano with Booboo and was trying to get him to sing the notes in the keys matching the ones on the piano. Mitch had Owen doing some exercises to let loose. “Okay. Now sing _no control over me_ in this key,” Scott demonstrated as he hit the key on the piano. Booboo took a few breaths and followed Scott’s instructions. Scott scowled. “No. You are out of pitch.” Hearing the piano, Ghost walked up to them and ‘sang’ the note. Scott and Mitch’s heads whipped to the small dog in shock. Scott hit a few other keys and Ghost matched each one perfectly in his doggy voice. “Woah. He can tell different notes!”

Madison and Charlie laughed as they bent down and pet their boy. “Yup. We discovered his musical talent a few days after we adopted him. He’s crazy smart,” Madison praised.

“Yeah. He will even dance with you and is a riot in front of the camera,” Charlie brought up.

Scott looked impressed. “He’s special, that’s for sure. If he can do it, why can’t you,” he shouted at Booboo and smacked his shoulder.

Madison saw Booboo mouth _save me_ to her and Charlie. She had to cover her mouth so Scott wouldn’t see her trying not to laugh. She looked over at Owen with Mitch to see the drummer speaking to Mitch. The two got up from sitting on the floor and walked out of the room. Madison wondered what that was about. She didn’t have a chance to ponder on it as Charlie grabbed her attention when he picked up their dog like a baby and started rocking him exaggeratedly. She would have to figure out the Owen thing later because she had a cute idiot to watch over.


	9. Hot and Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No drama between updates, yay! That's good. So this one has some things that will continue in future chapters. Owen has dubbed Charlie and Madison as Mr. and Mrs. RG thanks to being pet parents. Madison and Charlie also use the names they called each other in Chapter 7. Owen gets chosen as the de facto dog sitter. There is a reference to Tarzan in this since it is Charlie's favorite Disney movie. I also want to show them looking at each other for a prolonged period of time and express the chemistry that way. I think that is it. Enjoy!

The vocal lesson from earlier in the week had been trying but very cathartic for Madison and Charlie. They, along with Owen and Booboo, had learned a lot from the older musicians. From how to handle fans to anime recommendations from Mitch to ways to enhance songs and pet parenting from Scott. All four knew that they had found people to help them traverse the scary world of the real entertainment world.

It also helped Madison get to know Booboo better. Before he was a costar who she got along with. Now it felt like they had a real bond. He was more like her super cool hip artsy older brother who could whoop anyone who crossed him.

Sadly she and Charlie didn’t get a chance to figure out what Owen had talked to Mitch about in private. He was normally one to blurt out things thanks to his anxiety and sheer blondness but he had been tight lipped. Thankfully he and Booboo were more comfortable with each other.

“Mads, earth to Madison,” Charlie called to her and waving his hand in front of her face. She snapped out of her thoughts. “There she is, Ghost. Mommy is back with us.” Ghost barked in agreement. Madison frowned at him. “Remember, we are supposed to figure out what to do with Ghost since we are filming our scenes today.”

Madison shook her head. She was so wrapped up in what was going on with their friends she forgot about the issue at hand. “Sorry, Charlie. Okay. So unfortunately they don’t have a doggy day care on set so….should we bring him to one of those centers to watch him for the day?”

Charlie scowled at the suggestion. “No way. You know he doesn’t like to be away from us and I don’t trust those places not to do something to our boy. Can’t we just have your dad watch him?”

It was lucky that Charlie had a nice face because…. “He can’t. He’s watching _us_ ,” she reminded. “And we can’t have Ghost getting into these shots. You know these are big scenes for our characters.”

Charlie bit the inside of his cheek. “Right. If only your dad was a little less attentive.” Madison glared at him. “What? It’s not like as soon as he’s not in the room, I am going to jump your bones.” Madison only glared harder with her arms crossed.

“That’s not what he’s worried about. He just wants to make sure I am not overworked or taken advantage of by anyone. He knows you would never do that.”

Charlie nodded, pensive. “You know I would never force anything on you. Or try to sleep with you. Not to say that you aren’t desirable because you are. I mean….I am not hitting on you. That’s wrong. I mean not wrong like that but you know because we’re not like that.” Charlie clapped his hand over his mouth, his face burning with embarrassment. If he could be swallowed up by the floor that would be great.

Madison just stared at him, speechless. “Your brain works in weird ways, Gillespie. Now back to the matter at hand. Our dog child.”

Charlie nodded awkwardly, trying to brush off his rant a few moments before. “Right. Ghost needs a dogsitter. How about Jeremy?”

Madison shook her head. “Can’t. He’s with Carolynn working on some stuff for merch. They aren’t even on set right now.”

“What about Tori? She’s always around.”

Another head shake. “She and Savannah are working on a Dirty Candi routine with Paul.”

“Jadah?”

“School work. And besides she might not discipline him well if he gets out of hand. She’s blinded by his cuteness.”

That left only one option. “Owen.”

Madison nodded. “Yup. Can we trust him not to try to lock him up in a box and ship him to Antartica or something? Ghost ate his breakfast this morning when he wasn’t looking.”

Charlie had to control himself not to laugh at the memory. Owen really should have known to keep an eye on Ghost.The dog was sneaky. “Is there anyone on set that can babysit him while he dogsits for us?”

A gleam flashed in Madison’s eyes. “Well now that you mention it….”.

Madison and Charlie were going to be late for their scene time but they had to make sure that all the rules were laid out. “…and remember he likes mountain water not spring or tap. Yes he can tell the difference. So don’t mess that up. And he likes sleeping in your jacket. When he wants to take a nap, remember to give him your sweater. He will get restless so walk around with him a bit. His toys are in this bag along with his bowls. Don’t give him the red squeaky one. He tries to rip that one apart if you don’t watch him,” Madison instructed Owen and Booboo.

Booboo was on set for a scene later on. It was perfect because he would be able to watch over Owen. The blond kept shooting glares at their boy every few minutes. “Maddie, I got it. I know how to take care of an animal. Owen and I will be fine for a few hours while you two go make googley eye at each other on camera.”

Madison narrowed her eyes at the long haired half Asian. “Owen has gotten to you, hasn’t he?” She and Charlie had to mark Booboo as being on their prank list now.

“No. You two just love staring at each other. It’s almost like telepathy.” Madison didn’t even dare reply to that. Sometimes it was better not to say anything. She was surrounded by idiots.

Owen laughed at Booboo’s joke. “You guys do do that a lot. Now you have filming to do. Off you go Mr. and Mrs. RG.”

Madison and Charlie stared at him. “What did you just call us,” Charlie wondered aloud.

Owen rolled his eyes. “Mr. and Mrs. RG, duh. You are Ghost’s parents.”

Madison pinched the bridge of her nose. “No, just no,” Charlie grumbled for both of them.

Booboo interjected to stop what was surely going to be Charlie and Owen getting in a wrestling match. “Seriously. We’ll be fine. Besides I know how we can tire Ghost out if he needs to play. He can pull my board around.” Booboo had started learning skateboarding during the time between the first season and filming for the second season. It was one less body double.

Madison was unsure. “O-okay. But remember not to give him more than three snacks. He will think it is substituting his meals. And give him the exact amount of food that I wrote down,” Madison reminded as Charlie grabbed her hand to drag her along.

“Come on, Mads. I think the five page booklet you made is enough.”

Madison waved back at Ghost. “Bye baby. Mommy and Daddy love you. Be good with your uncles.”

“This honestly doesn’t feel real. I can feel you. I swear your hands are warm,” Madison said as Julie. Madison and Charlie were sitting down on the couch of Julie’s studio. Their characters had just finished a writing session and were taking in their new normal. Madison opened his right hand and ran her fingers along the lines in his hand. He had to keep from saying something as the camera rolled. His eyes went from her face full of this intense concentration and the way her fingers stroked his hand. The soft strokes made his hand tingle. It was weird for him. He and Madison held hands often, even just that morning but not like this.

The tingling had lessened just enough that it didn’t make him want to grab her fingers to stop the sensation. But then she did something that nearly made his heart stop. She flattened his hand and then laid her left on top of his. He swore his heart jumped into his throat. Madison had aligned their hands to where their obvious hand difference was clear as day. Having their hands displayed like that, he couldn’t help comparing his fair skin with her warm brown. His calloused palms and fingers with her smooth ones. Her well manicured nails to his partly chipped nails. The contrast was startling. But what hit the most is what it reminded him of. She was Jane and he was Tarzan when they met in the tree. He couldn’t help comparing the moment to his favorite Disney movie.

“My hands are small compared to yours…”, Madison mused as Julie. Charlie just pressed his hand against hers. “Charlie, your line,” Madison whispered next to his ear.

Charlie tried not to stumble on his words as he coughed out the lines. “Well you know what they say comes in small packages,” he said in a flirty voice as Luke.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they weren’t asked to redo the scene. He thought his delay in speaking would throw off the scene.

Kenny looked over the footage. “That is looking good. Okay. Continue with the scene.”

Charlie was standing only a few feet away from Madison as she played Julie in deep thought. “Alex was right. It would be great to have a guide on ghosts so we could understand what is going on here.”

Charlie chuckled. “I don’t think there is a section on being corporeal after having stamps that can kill you with jolts is lifted by some force after hugging a lifer.”

Madison shook her head, her curls flying around. “Luke I’m serious. This is a big deal. Before we couldn’t…hold hands. Now you are just as solid to me as Flynn or Carlos.” She was looking at him imploringly. This is where Julie walked to Luke and they stared into each other’s eyes similar to the final episode of season 1.

Feeling the tension in the air, Charlie pretended to throw up. It was their go to way to release tension when Juke moments became deep. Madison was focused and didn’t pretend to throw up like he expected. Her eyes were so strong with emotion as she came up to him and put her hands on either side of his face. He reached up and put his hands over hers from reflex. Her hands were so good against his skin. But that feeling was in the back of his mind as he looked her head on.

Her brown eyes were so bright and dark at the same time. It was like there was a battle within her soul of which side to turn to. Curiosity consumed him. He wanted to figure out where her soul turned. It was like bursts of chocolate hit him over and over. There were the lighter touches like caramel and the darker ones of charcoal. He craved the taste of the fire burning into him from her eyes. His heart was raging inside. It was beating a mile a minute, banging against his chest. He was honestly shocked Madison couldn’t feel the way his heart raced.

Her eyes broke him down and he was captured in them. His whole body roared with this great warmth. He couldn’t breathe under that gaze. It was like she had stolen his ability to breathe. So he hung on his last ones not even caring as his chest burned with the need to take in more oxygen. His feet were rooted to the floor as the chains held him in her grasp. Her eyes made death a welcome adventure. He wished to bow to the power she radiated. Her eyes were dominance. They were all that mattered.

For Madison, his eyes were a mood ring into his emotions. She was pulled into the swirling pools of differing colors. There were spots of amber, green, brown, and blue running throughout his eyes. It was dizzying as she was swept into waves of a beautiful aurora. She was in awe of the otherworldliness as if she was stepping beyond this world.

His eyes took her to a new reality. She jumped face first without fear into the depths before her. She swam into the colors that passed by. Each color bringing forth another side to his wild and enchanting personality. As the waves hit her, she could feel the calm that cradled her form. Her heartbeat was steady but strong, searching for another. Her body felt like it was floating and that his eyes could take her away from everything. That she could fly away into the great unknown. She wanted to be taken and drown in his kaleidoscope eyes. Death in a beauty of rainbows.

“Madison,” Charlie breathed out reverently.

The moment was destroyed by the sound of a crash and two moans of pain. Madison and Charlie snapped out of the deep trance their eyes had put on each other to see that the would be dog sitters were tangled up on the floor and Booboo’s skateboard on its side. Booboo picked up his head to look at them with dazed eyes, holding his side. “Ghost wanted to see you,” he rasped out.

Owen rolled over and got to his feet, his face a little pink. S-sorry about that. We tried to get him to stop or turn. He didn’t agree.”

Said dog was sitting next to Ricardo with his tongue hanging, his tail wagging, and his leash trailing back near Booboo from his harness. “He’s a mamma’s boy, isn’t he,” Ricardo said, looking down at his dog grandson.

Madison cleared her throat, taking in short breaths for a few seconds before smiling down at the small dog. “Guess so. Does baby need cuddles,” she asked in a higher pitched voice.

Ghost barked and walked over to his mother with head already raised to give her dog kisses. Charlie looked at the two together, letting the mother-son moment help to ease his breathing. He took in deep greedy breaths to relax his heart. Madison’s eyes had completely bowled him over.

The two of them got to have a small break with their dog son and their friends while the footage was looked over. Thanks to Charlie saying Madison’s name, they had to redo that part. Even so, everyone knew that Paul would keep the footage for a behind the scenes when season 2 came out. Madison could already hear all the screaming fangirls, good and bad. The Juke fans would die of happiness and Charlie’s simps would die of sadness. The comments were sure to be in shambles too. She had seen the insanity with the multitude of Perfect Harmony behind the scenes that Paul had posted.

“Okay so we are done with this one. You have your scene with Jadah tomorrow,” Kenny said to Madison.

She nodded at him and turned to Charlie. “Guess we have to change out of costume. Meet back in ten to relinquish Anxiety Prone and Adrenaline Junkie of Ghost?”

Charlie’s lips curled into a smile. “You know Owen’s going to hate you for that one. But that sounds perfect, _mon petit chou_.”

“Going to keep that up, huh?”

Charlie’s eyes shined a gray blue green as he gave her a lopsided smile. “Yeah,” he almost whispered, biting his lip.

Madison smiled sweetly at him. “Okay, _cariño_.” Charlie rolled his tongue into his cheek and then smirked at her. He just nodded with his eyes alight and turned to get changed.


	10. Getting Fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So....this ended up WAY longer than I expected but I felt like all these parts made sense. This is a nice group thing for them. Just so we're clear, I am not demonizing all white women but it is a fact that some do feel that they "deserve" things over people of color. So that is something to be aware of when it is brought up. Also we get more of Owen's story here. Enjoy!

"Is the coast clear," Charlie asked as he grabbed the zipper of the large jacket he was wearing. Jeremy and Booboo checked the other aisles of gym lockers.

"All clear," the two men said together.

Owen rolled his eyes as he opened the locker he rented. "Don't you think this is a little extra," he groaned.

Charlie looked at him blankly. "What do you mean? We can't leave him alone. Do you leave your kids home alone," Charlie replied so matter of factly as he opened his jacket revealing Ghost inside a baby carrier. Ghost barked at the sight of something besides the inside of his father's jacket. "You were such a good boy, Ghost. Stayed quiet while we got inside. Come on. Out of the carrier."

Owen just facepalmed at how ridiculous Charlie looked with a baby carrier strapped across his torso. "I can't with you. You and Madison are really _those_ pet parents."

"What do you mean," Charlie asked as he looked up at Owen as he put on the little muscle shirt that Madison bought for Ghost.

Owen's jaw dropped. "Really," his voice practically squeaked. Ghost looked at his new garb and wagged his tail.

Booboo came to Owen's side and squeezed his shoulder causing Owen to jump a little. "Don't be so upset Oklahoma. You know they can't help it."

Owen pouted at Booboo. "Don't call me that! I don't want to be associated with that basic musical."

Charlie butt between the two. "You can whine later, Owen. Remember Ric is guarding the door for us. Ghost," he directed to the dog. "Walk between us, behind Uncle B, okay?" Ghost barked and stood in formation as the four men circled the dog. They moved in sync as they made their way to the door. They slipped out the swinging door of the locker room to be met with the stoic form of the middle aged Puerto Rican. "We're good, Ric."

Ricardo looked down to see his daughter's bandmates and friends. "Good. Some guy tried getting past me a few minutes ago. Madison is already stretching."

**\--**

The group separated to do their individual work outs. Jeremy was running on the treadmill with Ghost. Charlie was working on his arm and back muscles on the lat pull down next to him. Madison was hitting a sandbag with her dad holding it still. Owen and Booboo were doing sit ups and holding each other down with their feet.

"We're going to slow down now, okay," Jeremy said to Ghost to warn the dog. Ghost barked in response and Jeremy lowered the speed of the treadmill. Ghost slowed to a trot without losing his footing or breath. Charlie guessed the dog was used to running since he used to steal when he lived on the streets.

Charlie let go of the bar and let the wire fly up and moved his arms to get them more relaxed. "I am so glad to be back in the gym. Trying to find time to work out on set for the past two weeks has not been easy." Ghost coming into their lives was a blessing but the adjustment had caused cancelled gym sessions.

Jeremy nodded as he stepped off the treadmill with Ghost hopping off and going up to Charlie. "I bet. Haven't you and Madison started jogging in the mornings with Ghost to get in cardio?"

Charlie got up from the machine as he replied. "Yeah. It has been good. Gets us more awake in the morning. Ghost is good at keeping in step with us on the leash too. Aren't ya, boy?" Ghost rubbed his head against his leg. Charlie bent over and scratched behind the dog's ear. Ghost closed his eyes, enjoying the affection. "By the way, why did Carolynn not want to come with us?"

Jeremy laughed. "She thinks you, Mads, and Ric are going to turn her into the Hulk."

Charlie scoffed. "We aren't that intense. She can take it light. Speaking of light, I have a bench press calling my name."

"Yeah, yeah. Have fun with that muscle man." Jeremy walked off to the jump ropes against the wall. Charlie just smiled and went to an open bench press with Ghost following at his heel.

**\--**

Charlie could feel the sweat running down the side of his face as he moved his arms up and down to bring the bar of weights in the air and to his chest. Ghost was pushing around a ball at his feet. It was almost like he was playing soccer with himself. If he wasn't dealing with over two hundred pounds hanging off two ends of a metal bar, he would have used his phone to take photo.

He almost lost his grip when he saw a slightly out of breath Madison come to his side. She bent her knees and grabbed his water bottle from the floor next to him. Without even a pretense of squirting the water from a distance, she popped the top up and took a few chugs of water. Her hair was a frizzy mess with a few curls sticking to her skin. Her workout gear was fitting so he could basically see every twitch of her muscles as she moved even a little bit. She had a thin sheen of sweat on her body and a slight flush. In short, she looked wired up and ready for more.

"Hey, I'm taking your phone. Going to listen to some music while I do some floor work. You got your earbuds, right?" Madison had opted not to bring her phone since she was going to be with him and her dad. If anyone needed to contact her, she could be reached through either of them.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah just grab it out of my pocket. Earbuds are in the case on the other side." Madison fished his phone and earbuds out and opened up his phone to find a song.

"You look like you have been putting it in on this machine. Don't go overboard. I like your muscles proportionate." Charlie smirked up at her. She had mentioned before she hated it when she saw people with huge upper arm and thigh muscles. That it made them look like chicken legs.

"I'll keep that in mind, _mon petit chou_."

Madison smiled at the affectionate term. "Okay, _cariño_."

"What did you just say," Ricardo said, his mouth slightly open. The two of them hadn't noticed him come up.

Madison turned her head to her father and tilted her head, obviously not getting it. "What? I called him _cariño_."

Ricardo shook his head. "N-nothing. I'll be over at the treadmill. You kids call me if you need me." Ricardo left them in a hurry, the singers staring after him.

"Uh...okay," Madison said. She decided it was best not to try to pick a fifty year old man's brain. "Come on, baby. You are going to be with Mommy now," she said to Ghost. Ghost left the ball he was messing with and followed her lead to the mats nearby.

**\--**

Feeling like her body was near weightless, Madison stood shakily to her feet and found her way back to Charlie who had finally finished his bench press set. Ghost coming up behind her to flop down in front of the machine.Charlie was sitting on the bench, with each leg on either side of it. He seemed to be decompressing from working out his muscles.

"You okay," she practically whispered as she ran her hand through his sweaty hair. He leaned his head back at the touch, closing his eyes, and moaned in his mouth. An easy smile spread on her face at the comfort she could give him.

With relaxed brows, he mumbled out. "Yeah. This feels good." Madison could see when his body relaxed because his straight back slouched and his body shifted forward. She kept running her fingers through his hair. She just couldn't help playing with the wavy hair. It was so different than hers.

"You look comfortable," she said softly. Charlie hummed.

"If you don't stop, I'll fall asleep from this," he slurred. He really was a puppy in human form. It was honestly the most adorable thing ever.

She pulled her hand away. "Sorry."

Charlie's face scrunched up and he cracked his hazel eyes open to look at her sadly. "No," he whined. "Why'd you stop?" He was full on pouting now with his stupid pretty eyes on display.

Madison rolled her eyes at him. "You told me to. I know you want to get your core work out in. You'll have to wait for head scratches."

Charlie huffed and looked off to the side. He really was more needy than Ghost. "Fine," he grumbled. "Hey I wanted to try something out."

Madison looked up from putting his AirPods back into the case. "What?"

Charlie sat up right again and then laid down on the bench. "I want to bench press you. See how it feels in comparison to the bar."

Madison just stared at him for a second. That wasn't something you could compare. A metal bar had the same weight balance all the way through. A human body did not. "Uh...sure? Now how do I...well...you pick me up?"

Charlie held his arms in a pushing manner. "Just turn so your back is facing me and then lean back. I'll catch you."

Madison's eyes widened. "I don't know, Charlie."

Charlie smiled up at her. "Don't worry Mads. I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Trust me."

Against her better judgement, since this was the same man who had been run over by a tractor, she did as he said and found herself being held in the air. Strangely, it didn't feel uncomfortable. She was used to Charlie holding her in some form and he was always careful not to drop her. She could feel one hand between her shoulder blades and the other just under her butt.

Their little work out method drew the eyes of Ghost who was using the bench to hold his upper half up and stare at them. His curiosity seemed to spread and the rest of the group came to see what ridiculous thing they had come up with.

"Charlie...don't you think this is a little...you know what? I am not even going to try. We'll all just wake up to find you two conjoined at the hip," Owen groused exasperatedly.

Madison quickly shushed him. "Owen, quiet. He is concentrating." Without even looking, Madison knew he was rubbing his temples and muttering about how annoying they were.

**\--**

After what must have been fifteen minutes, Charlie set Madison back down on her feet. Being up in the air had given her time to relax and cool down from her floor work out. Now she was ready for the main event. It was the reason that they were there. She was going to be taking some self defense classes.

She had started on them back in Pennsylvania after a girl practically tackled her to the ground when she realized who Madison was. The girl was a huge Charlie fan and wanted to get info as well as threaten her to stay away from "her man". It had left her shaken but determined not to be thrown off like that. Ricardo and Charlie were very encouraging of her wanting to know how to protect herself, especially Charlie. He didn't take kindly to people harassing his loved ones.

Charlie was wrapping her hands for her. He had taken a few fighting classes so knew how to set up the bandaging. "Remember to be quick on your feet," Ricardo instructed as he took off her jewelry. Sometimes the other women in the classes could be ruthless when sparring. She had learned that tidbit from Booboo.

"Got it. And this is just an introductory course. I should be fine from any sparring."

Ricardo looked down at her with a steely look in his eyes. "Don't underestimate those _blancitas_. They don't like it when a brown girl is better than them."

" _Sí, Papi_ ," Madison said with a smile. She couldn't fault her father for his worries. The girl who had assaulted her was a white girl about her age if not slightly older. She remembered the girl saying she shouldn't be posting about Charlie. If her memory of the date was right, it was just a day or so after she had posted an until then unseen photo of her and Charlie. It was her saying she was happy she was going to see him again for season 2 and give the fans Juke.

Madison snorted at the irony of it all. If that girl saw them now, she'd burst into flames knowing that she and Charlie shared a dog and were even closer than before. He truly was her absolute best friend, even over her friends back in Pennsylvania. The past two weeks, she felt more connected to him than she had anyone else.

"What are you laughing about, Mads," Charlie asked as he finished off her hand wrappings.

Madison shook her head. "It's nothing, _cariño_. I'm just ready to start this class."

A slow beautiful smile came to Charlie's face. "You are going to do great." Madison fought back a pleased blush. Charlie was just the ultimate hype man.

Madison took a few breaths and looked at Ricardo and her friends. "I'm ready to kick some ass."

The five men laughed at the confidence that she exuded. Suddenly Booboo left the group. "Wait! I wanted to give you something." Madison walked over to see what he was looking for in his bag. He pulled something out and put it into her hand. She looked down at it to see a pair of brass knuckles. "I want you to have these."

Madison just stood in shock. "I-I can't take these."

Booboo shook his head, his long hair waving a little. "I insist. Besides sometimes mace isn't going to work. Going to need something strong to knock some teeth out."

For whatever reason, Madison's eyes clouded up with tears. "Thank you BB," she whispered out tearfully.

Booboo gave her a soft and loving smile. "Of course. Anything for my little sister." She squeezed him in the tightest hug she could and slipped the brass knuckles into her pocket. She'd find a better place to put them later when she needed them.

**\--**

Madison had an audience as she practiced her movements in the self defense class. Her father and Charlie weren't going to leave her without support and the others were not going to miss out either. Charlie watched her with rapt attention and Ghost was by his side just as focused on her. Booboo had a close eye on all the others in the class. She could see that his martial artist brain had kicked in and was looking for any potential troublemakers. She saw him whispering to Owen and Jeremy. Ricardo was the most at ease in a way since he was just filming her.

She was brought back to what was in front of her by a woman almost falling into her. To her disappointment, the instructor had decided for them to practice the moves they had just learned on each other. Her reasoning was that she wanted to see if the class had picked up on the steps and could execute them.

Without much warning, she was hit in the torso by a woman who had not made herself known. "What the fuck," she snapped at the light brown haired twenty something who had just kicked her.

The woman didn't seem the least bit concerned or apologetic. "You shouldn't expect someone to announce when they'll attack you," she explained in a cold manner.

Madison's eyes narrowed. So that is how this was going to go. "You're right. Thanks for the tip," she said in the same manner.

The woman scowled at her and surged forward to punch her head. She sidestepped the hit and grabbed her arm in a lock. This was one of the moves that they had just been taught. The woman glared at her and tried to pull her arm loose. It wasn't working. Madison had an iron grip on her.

"Go Mads! You can do it, _mon petit chou_ ," Charlie called out to her.

"Yeah! Go Maddie! You got this," Owen cheered.

"That's our girl," Jeremy shouted, amplifying his voice with his hands around his mouth.

"Show her who's boss," Ricardo shouted.

"Aikido," Booboo said loudly. Madison's brow furrowed for a second before it clicked. FLIP! She took the stance she had seen before in a few anime and in what seemed less than a second, the rude woman was on the floor in front of her with a pained expression on her face.

Madison let go of the woman's arm in a bit of shock that she was able to pull that off. She looked up to see the other women in the class were staring in awe at her. She smiled awkwardly. Class was over now. She didn't even pretend to be cordial and let her opponent get up by herself. She, instead, walked to her father and friends. They were all cheering and Ghost was jumping up and down and barking. His ears would flap up every time he jumped. Madison couldn't help hugging him to her. He was too cute to ignore.

Charlie was the first to come up to her and grabbed her face in his hands, his eyes a sort of light green. "Mads! That was amazing! You were so badass!"

The happiness that Charlie showed for her was disrupted by the feeling of eyes on her back. Madison looked over her shoulder to see the woman she just beat glaring at her. She saw her eyes shifting. Madison didn't get what she was doing until she realized that she was looking between her and Charlie. Madison's nostrils flared. She wrapped her arm around Charlie's waist and turned away from the hateful eyes to hug Charlie. " _Gracias_ Charlie." She pulled back but didn't let him go. "You guys were quite the cheer team. And thanks for the tip, B," she said to the oldest of the younger men.

Booboo shrugged. "I just figured it would be better than what that instructor wanted you to do."

Madison laughed at Booboo shading the self defense instructor. "I bet. You'd probably be better than her with this class."

Booboo gave her one of his lazy smiles. "Probably."

**\--**

The time at the gym had lasted for over an hour. Everyone was mostly just fooling around. Madison and Charlie were playing hide and seek with Ghost. Owen was trying to teach Jeremy the "All Eyes on Me" dance he did. Jeremy was not getting it _at all._ But it was just the fun of it. Ricardo was just lounging while they acted like the overgrown kids they were. The only one who wasn't relaxing was Booboo. He was taking time to practice his martial arts.

Everyone's eyes turned to Booboo when he changed out of his regular work out shirt for an open white gi. Seeing Booboo in his natural element was fascinating and they couldn't help watching him. He moved with purpose and had a deadly focus as he worked through the movements. If in a real fight, Madison and Charlie were sure he'd be vicious.

With his gi open, Madison could see his well sculpted chest and abs. If he wasn't like a brother to her, she'd consider the sight alluring. She knew he was skilled and as such had to be well built but to see it in person was another thing.

"Wish I could get a body like that now," Ricardo commented.

Jeremy nodded. "No kidding. When he's got shirts and jackets on you can't tell how ripped he is. It's actually a little rude. Leave some for the rest of us, you know."

"Wow, fitness goals," Charlie said. Madison snickered. He gave her a goofy face causing her to pinch his arm. Ghost barked at them. Charlie looked down at the dog between them. "Don't worry Ghost. Mommy is only playing."

It was then Madison realized they hadn't heard from Owen. She looked to the blond to see him staring at Booboo. "He's pretty good at this martial arts stuff, right," she said to him.

He didn't even blink as he replied. "Y-yeah." Madison sighed. She had to get him out of his head.

**\--**

"Mads, I don't think this was the best idea to help Owen with his _anxiety_ ," Charlie said pointedly as they all looked up near the ceiling of the gym.

Madison had to concede he was actually right for once. "Yeah...kind of Reggie'd this one."

Jeremy looked at them, offended. "Hey!"

"Not now, Jer," Madison snapped at him.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah. We have to find a way to get him down." Madison had thought that Owen was feeling self conscious after seeing Booboo earlier so thought distracting him with a simple fitness goal would help. Climbing a rope to ring the bell and get down didn't seem like such a hard thing to do. Except she forgot that Owen's anxiety ruled him. So now he was stuck up at the top of the rope and refused to get down.

"Owen it's okay. Just slide down," Charlie encouraged. Owen shook his head furiously.

"NO," he cried.

"We are all down here. You'll be fine," Madison urged. Another head shake. Madison sighed. What were they going to do?

Ghost barked at him. Madison could imagine him calling Owen a coward and wanting to get up there and drag him down by his pants. "I don't think that's going to work, boy," Charlie said sadly. Ghost grumbled and sat, looking up at Owen. He was obviously not going to let his human nemesis escape him.

"Should we get like a big net or something," Jeremy asked. Owen had been up there for about five minutes. There was no way his grip would last that long.

Charlie looked lost. "I have no idea. Ric?"

Ricardo looked up at Owen with his arms crossed. "We'll have to see if they have anything. These mats won't do much with how high up he is."

Booboo walked over already looking up at the drummer who had his legs wrapped tightly around the rope. "He _still_ stuck up there," he asked in shock.

"Oh no. He just wanted to see the sights," Madison replied with heavy sarcasm. "YES, he's still stuck up there!" Madison screamed in frustration. She felt Charlie and Jeremy step away from her.

Booboo held up his hands. "Sorry. Maybe one of us can climb up to get him."

At these words everyone's eyes turned to Charlie. "No! No, no, no, no, no! I am not going up there. If I try, he'll just act worse." Madison bit her lip. He was right about that. Charlie tended to freak out Owen more than calm him down. "Maddie why don't you try? He trusts you."

Madison quickly shook her head. "Bad idea. If he loses his grip, he'll squash me when he comes down."

With both of them out of the running, they turned to Jeremy. "Jer," they asked hopefully.

Jeremy sighed. "I mean I can try. I'll just have to-". The rest of what he was going to say was cut off by Owen's scream.

"MY HANDS ARE SLIPPING!"

Charlie, Booboo, Jeremy, and Ricardo circled the bottom of the rope with their hands out and at the ready. "We're right here Owen. We got you, bud," Charlie called to him.

"We'll catch you. We promise," Booboo said. It was at this moment that Owen's hold gave out and in the blink of an eye he was down. Everyone's eyes looked down to see Booboo flattened on the floor with Owen on top of him. At least he was alive. Ghost barked, surprised. "O-ow," Booboo moaned.

Owen's head snapped up from where it had been cradled in his shoulder. His eyes were wide seeing who had broken his fall. "Uh....".

Booboo craned his head to look him in the eyes. "You okay," he croaked out. Owen had clearly knocked the wind out of him and probably caused a few bruises too.

Owen's mouth flew shut tight and he nodded and fumbled to his feet. Madison rushed to see if he had any injuries. "Owen, are you alright?"

Owen didn't say anything and just walked towards the guys locker room without looking back.

"I think he's embarrassed about the show he just caused," Jeremy said, worried for their friend.

Madison and Charlie looked at each other, knowing there was something off. They would figure it out.


	11. Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is just pure fun. The skating scene was inspired from a part in the 1995 Might Morphin Power Rangers Movie, a childhood favorite. So I accidentally made it a thing for Owen to fall on Booboo. It just happened a lot until I realized. But yeah here's another installment of that. Oh! And Ghost is winning this war with Owen, lmao! We also get the introduction of Madison and Owen's bestie handshake. Also the cast now has a thing of watching telenovelas together. So with that all out of the way, enjoy!

Everyone sat around, the boredom seeping in more as each second ticked by. Madison and Charlie were on a spinning chair together, her on his lap with Ghost tucked into Charlie’s side. He was slowly spinning the chair, trying to find some kind of entertainment. Owen was twirling a drumstick and staring up at the ceiling on the floor. Booboo was sitting next to him and pushing his skateboard back and forth with his foot. Jeremy and Sacha had found some cards and were pretending to actually play a game. Savannah, Tori, and Jadah were trying to keep busy on their phones but their sighs said otherwise.

They were all supposed to be doing a big cast music and dance number but they had been forced to wait while some technical issue was handled. As a result, they had been forced to spend a better part of an hour sitting around. And it was slowly eating away at them.

“How long until we get to film,” Owen groaned.

Everyone else grunted at the question. “You have asked that four times already O,” Charlie grumbled.

Owen glared at him. “Well I’m sorry. You know not having breakfast and then being forced to sit around forever really leaves you cranky,” he snapped at the brunet.

Madison sighed and looked over Charlie’s shoulder at their friend. “It is not Charlie’s fault you didn’t have breakfast.”

Owen’s glare moved to Ghost who was already staring right back at him, challenging him. “No. It’s Ghost’s. He switched his food with mine.”

Booboo’s brows furrowed. “How did he even do that,” he thought aloud.

Charlie spun the chair around so he was facing the grumpy younger man. “You know Ghost is smarter than a lot of dogs. You have to watch him.”

Owen pouted and turned his body to face Booboo. The half Asian sighed and patted Owen’s shoulder. “Don’t worry O. We’ll go to Craft and feed you as soon as we know what the deal is here.”

“And when will that be,” Jeremy sassed as he gave up playing cards with Sacha. The blond guitarist just kept quiet. Madison almost felt bad for him since he wasn’t as used to the band dynamics. But she was more focused on keeping her boys from going at each other.

“That’s enough. I mean it. I know we are all tired and cranky but we need to keep it together. We have to film this thing. Do you understand,” she said pointedly, looking at each of three musicians with a stern glare. Charlie curled his arms around her waist and cuddled her close. She wasn’t easily appeased though. “I’m still annoyed at you,” Madison said to him.

Any responses to Madison’s mothering was stopped at the sight of Kenny. The seventy one year old man walked up to them with disappointment written on his face. He clasped his hands together and looked over the group of teens and twenty somethings. “I hate to tell you all this but we will have to stop production for the day. The camera that is supposed to follow you guys has some issues that need to be fixed. We should be up and running by tomorrow. So you don’t need to be here today.”

Owen was the first to speak up. “Wait….does that mean we have the day off?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to Kenny for confirmation. “Yes it does. Enjoy your time off kids.” He smiled at them before leaving, likely to figure out the camera problem in time to film the next day.

Once he was gone, the group looked at each other, taking in their good fortune. “Booboo, food!”

The 27 year old burst out laughing. “Okay, Owen. We’ll get you your food now.” Booboo stood up and grabbed his hand to pull him up.

Owen gave one of his anxiety ridden smiles and dropped his hand. Madison just shook her head as Charlie helped her stand from the chair. “That sounds good but we are all together with nothing to do.”

This truth caused the others to groan. Booboo looked down. He was staring at his board. A slow smirk came to his face. “Actually, I think I know something.”

Madison and Charlie looked at each other in apprehension. What was Booboo up to?

“Yeah,” Charlie shouted into the wind as he and Madison rollerbladed down the Vancouver sidewalk. They were taking in the sights of the city with the rest of the cast. Everyone followed behind Booboo, who had Owen on his board with him. Booboo had Ghost’s leash and the dog was leading them around the streets he used to roam.

It was like out of a cheesy 90s movie with all of them with color coordinated helmet and pads. Charlie had his signature orange. Madison was in purple giving off Julie vibes. Owen was in a light pink set that contrasted with Booboo’s dark blue. Jeremy had on red for Reggie. Carolynn had come along and was in white gear. Savannah had on a darker shade of pink. Jadah was in green. Tori had opted for a lavender for her set. Lastly was Sacha in gray.

They skated in a line down the street and weaved through the passerby. Ghost slipped past everyone without a care and Booboo guided the leash to follow his steps. Charlie pulled Madison away from the group and they went through a series of cones that were had been set out. “This is _so_ fun,” Madison laughed as she spun around and found herself skating backwards with Charlie smiling as she took the dominant force in their rollerblading.

“Got some stone steps with a railing coming up,” Booboo called back. Madison skated over to Jeremy and he pulled her and Charlie back into the line. They all kept in one long straight line as they got closer to the drop. As expected of the dog, Ghost jumped up and slid down the railing like the daredevil he was. Booboo took the railing after him, the middle of his board teeter tottering down it. Owen held his arms tighter around his waist in fear of them falling off.

When they landed, Owen opened his eyes. "We didn't fall,” he said in awe. Booboo just shook his head as he moved out of the way as Charlie took the railing down and Madison skated down the steps. To no one’s surprise, they were able to do it while they held hands. The others followed with Tori being extra and doing a backflip down. “Tori's trying to upstage up," Owen quipped as Booboo got back on his skateboard.

“She _is_ a dancer,” Booboo reminded him. He grabbed Owen’s arms to wrap around his waist again. The blond put his feet on the board, his nerves clear as day on his face. “Okay if I remember right there is a skate park around here. We can shred in there.”

“Sweet," Charlie said excitedly and fist pumped. “We’ll get to see what else Tor can do on those rollerblades.” Madison shook her head and pulled him along.

“Okay, Ghost. Lead the way,” Booboo said as he grabbed the leash again. The dog started in a brisk walk until he was full on running, pulling the board forward and the line of friends following behind.

Being at the skate park proved to be a great idea. Madison, Savannah, Jadah, and Tori pretended like they were in the movie Roll Bounce as they did little tricks on the cement pavement while Selena’s version of Funky Town played on Jadah’s phone. Charlie had managed to do handstands when coming up from the skate bowl. Jeremy and Carolynn were filming him as Sacha pretended to be a commentator. Meanwhile Booboo was trying to get Owen to actually get on the skateboard by himself. Ghost was watching them. If he could smirk like his father, he would.

“Boo, I am _not_ athletic. I stopped sports at ten to become a musical theatre nerd. Any muscle is for show.”

Booboo sighed. “Come on, Owen. It’s not that hard. Just put your foot on it and use the other to push off. At most, you’ll get a scrape.”

Owen shook his head violently. “Nuh uh. Coordination is not my friend.” Madison and the girls skated over to them then. Without missing a beat, Madison spun in a circle and stopped perfectly. Charlie skated over full of energy.

“Come on, girl,” he encouraged Madison. They grasped hands and danced on the spot for a few beats, neither of them losing their balance on their skates. They finished off with a perfect dip. With practiced ease, Charlie snapped Madison back up and held her waist. Ghost barked with a tail wag as he looked at them. “That’s right Ghost. Mommy’s a dancing queen.”

“Ooh! Jadah, play Dancing Queen.” Jadah nodded and her fingers flew on her phone as she changed the song.

Owen groaned. “You guys aren’t helping!”

Savannah went over to her long time friend and patted his back. “It’s okay, Owen. We can put you in a wagon next time we come out,” she said with all the sincerity despite the obvious jab.

Owen narrowed his eyes on the twenty one year old. “I hate you,” he hissed.

The others shook their heads at the blond drummer. “Owen, I think you are making it out to be more than it is in your head,” Jeremy advised.

Booboo nodded. “That’s what I’ve been telling him. But he is scared. He said after being shown up by Charlie in Hawaii that he doesn’t want to make a fool of himself again.”

Charlie cracked a smile and giggled at the memory. “Can’t believe those surfers thought he’d outdo me.”

Owen scowled and crossed his arms. “Definitely not doing it.” Madison face palmed and looked over at Charlie. He just shrugged at the question in her eyes. He knew not to push Owen too much when it came to his anxiety. 

While they had all been trying to convince Owen to get on the skateboard, they hadn’t noticed that Ghost was no longer watching them. They realized he was actually _on_ the board when he casually skated by, his ears flopping in the wind.

“ _Cariño_ , look! He’s skateboarding,” Madison gushed, grabbing Charlie’s arm excitedly.

“Aww! That’s our boy!”

“Quick! Take a video of him,” Madison said excitedly as she held his arm close to her. Charlie laughed and did as he was told.

Owen let out a controlled scream. The two pet parents were distracted from admiring their genius boy at the noise. Owen was glaring daggers at the pleased dog. “You just love torturing me, don’t you,” Owen accused the dog. Ghost just stood with one foot off the board and stared at him challengingly.

Booboo gave Ghost a rub on his head. “That was great Ghost. Now if a dog can do it, why can’t you, Owen,” Booboo challenged.

Owen looked at his eyes, his frustration melting away. He sighed and looked down at the skateboard. “I-I’ll try.”

It should have been embarrassing that a group of would be adults was watching in anticipation for one man to step on a skateboard but this was a serious endeavor. Owen needed to face his fear. So they all stood around him as Booboo held his hand to step on the skateboard. “Okay. You are doing great, O. Now don’t put too much weight on the board or shift around. You’ll cause the board to move. Now use your other foot to hold more of your weight. Yup. Just like that. Now I am going to let you go now. You are going to balance on your own. Understand?”

Owen nodded shakily. “O-okay.” Booboo slipped his hand out of Owen’s and took a few steps back. “This isn’t that bad,” he said trying to seem confident.

“Alright now that you are standing like that, I want you to put more pressure on the foot on the board. Use the one of the ground to push off and propel the board forward.”

Owen did as Booboo instructed and pushed off with a small kick. The board moved maybe a foot. “That wasn’t so bad. Why did I think it was so scary?” He did the same thing as before except used more power behind his push. He put his other foot on the board and tried to steady himself as the board moved. Owen overestimated himself and his anxiety kicked in. He started wobbling on the board with fear gripping him. Booboo and Charlie rushed forward to catch him.

“At least I was prepared this time,” Booboo grunted out as he laid on the pavement with Owen on top of him yet again. Charlie looked back to Madison with a quirked lip. Madison just shook her head with the same expression. Booboo could survive a concussion or two.

Hearing Booboo’s pained grunt pulled Owen from his dazed state and he scurried off of the older man, his face a bright pink. “I’m _so_ sorry Booboo! I keep falling on you. I don’t do it on purpose, I swear. Please don’t hate me. I just don’t have good balance and don’t pay attention,” Owen rambled out in near tears.

Booboo held his hands up. “It’s okay Owen. You’re fine. Besides I’d rather catch you than you getting hurt,” Booboo said calmly.

Madison walked up to Owen and rubbed his back. “Owen, are you okay, baby?” Owen looked up at her with big blue green eyes that were glassy from tears.

“Cuddle,” he asked in a small voice. Madison obliged and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed the crown of his head. Without missing a beat, Charlie joined in on Owen’s other side. Soon enough, Owen was engulfed in a group hug by everyone. Even Ghost put aside his animosity to lay on Owen’s lap.

The skateboarding lesson was put on the back burner and instead they had turned the skate park into a dance party. Tori was acting as the leader and showing them the moves that they should do. Savannah and Sacha were partnered and were having a blast as they goofed off together. Jadah and Carolynn had tag teamed to get Jeremy moving. He was looking very much like a guy who had a wedgie and had to pee at the same time. “I don’t think my body is supposed to move like this,” he whined.

Jadah covered her mouth as she tried to control the laughing. “I don’t think anyone is supposed to move like that,” she replied.

Carolynn nodded. “Sorry babe. At least you tried.” Jeremy flopped onto the floor, having given up.

“I hate this,” he moaned. Jadah and Carolynn simply comforted the man as they watched the more capable members of their group.

Charlie and Owen had somehow started a dance competition against each other and Madison was the poor unfortunate soul who had to partner with them for each round. She was in Charlie’s arms at the moment as they did a contemporary piece. “Looking good there, Maddie. Charlie loosen up. Ric’s not around to reprimand you if you put your hand lower than her shoulder,” Tori said.

This only caused Charlie to get more flustered. “Tori! You aren’t helping!”

Madison giggled. She moved her hips and beckoned him closer with her hands. “Come on, Charlie. Show me what you got.” Charlie grabbed her hand and brought his hand to her waist as he started doing the steps again. “I know you can do better than that. Look at me, not my feet.” Charlie gulped and his big eyes (a spring green today) looked at her. “There you are,” she said in a smile. The two moved more fluidly as they spun around, laughter spilling out. They stopped where they started, happy smiles on their faces.

The bubble they were encased in was popped by Owen. “Please. Move out of the way Mr. RG. I’ll show you who’s boss.”

Charlie laughed and stepped back. “Be my guest, O.” Owen grabbed Madison’s hand and the two were off. Once they finished their dance, their friends clapped at the well done routine. “And that is how it’s done,” Owen bragged.

“Yeah it is,” Madison agreed. She raised her hands and the two did a take on an old playground hand game like Patty Cake, snapped their fingers with a hair toss, and bumped hips.

“And that’s on period, sis,” Owen said nonchalantly. The comment caused everyone to burst into hysterical laughter. Charlie was hugging Ghost to him to keep himself from full on rolling on the ground. The dog was not happy about it and whimpered to be saved by his mother.

The day out had been a success and now the group clambered into the apartment that the band shared to wind down with TV. They were a loud bunch as they burst through the door, Madison carried in on Charlie’s back and Ghost in Booboo’s sports bag. All their voices mixed together as they talked about what they wanted to watch and eat.

“Woah, you kids sure are hyper,” Ricardo said. Everyone looked over to see Madison’s father had been in the middle of preparing himself a snack when they broke through the door.

“Hey Dad. Sorry about that. Mind making some stuff for us. We’re going to have a watch party together.”

Ricardo just nodded dumbly, a little overwhelmed by the amount of people and the excitement in the air. “Uh…sure. Coming right up.”

They had all agreed on a telenovela. Madison had learned from Scott and Mitch’s bandmate Kevin that constantly consuming material in Spanish would help her learn the language. So they had picked a show that Carlos had mentioned before.

All of them were seated in the living room with the main sofa filled. Madison sat in the center with Charlie and Ghost in his lap, just as invested on what was on the screen. Madison leaned against him, their shoulders pressed together comfortably. Next to Charlie was Owen who had a big bowl of popcorn that he mostly refused to share. Booboo took his other side and was watching the characters on screen in slight fascination. Sitting in front of Booboo was Tori who had Savannah next to her. Savannah was resting he head against Owen’s legs. Below Madison and Charlie were Jeremy and Carolynn who were cuddled together. Last were Jadah and Sacha.

“No way! Why would he do that,” Owen exclaimed as they watched the man on the screen double cross the protagonist.

“I have no idea. Julio you piece of shit,” Madison screamed at the TV. Charlie rubbed the back of her neck in the hopes of calming he down.

“Relax. Mads. It’s only the first episode. We’ll figure out if he’s good or not.”

Madison glared at him. “But Marisa was so nice to him. Why give up her location?”

“I think there is more to Marisa’s story than what she is saying,” Booboo said.

Throughout the rest of the night, the group continued to debate the motivation of the characters with Madison and Owen being the most vocal on their opinions. Ghost would chime in with a bark every now and again if he didn’t like something.


	12. Mother's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter I was so excited for. It is just pure fluff.The breakfast that Charlie and Ghost make for Madison is a typical Puerto Rican breakfast (at least how my family does it). Adobo is a Puerto Rican seasoning mix that we use heavily for foods. Platanos are NOT bananas but are similar. The platanos are the sweet ones. Anyway, I am so glad to showcase my heritage in this a little bit.
> 
> What Charlie says in French is basically this: 'You should have seen her when I walked in with Ghost. She was still sleeping, you know. She was curled up in the blanket and looked so precious! Her curls were all over the place like a halo. And her skin just glowed from the sun streaming through the curtains. I swear I could just sit there and count each eyelash. God....It was the cutest thing.' Yeah...Charlie is REALLY oblivious to how he sounds completely head over heels. Also I want to thank ninabrm for being so gracious to translate things into French for me.
> 
> The song that Charlie sings is one that I wrote. I am sorry for how crappy it sounds. I tried my best. And yeah now slowly their feelings start to develop more clearly.

The first thing that Madison noticed when her brain woke up was the delicious smell of pancakes. The second was the sound of Ghost’s little feet hitting the floor. “Happy Mother’s Day,” Charlie said loudly. She opened her eyes from where she was wrapped up in her blanket. Her eyes widened as she saw Charlie walking towards her bed with a tray full of food. “Good morning, Mads. Breakfast in bed for the special lady,” he said proudly as he set the tray down on her lap.

She looked down to see he had made her a Puerto Rican style breakfast. She saw he cooked her sunny side up eggs with sprinkles of _Adobo_ , three pancakes with real maple syrup and a dollop of butter on top, four slices of turkey bacon, six pieces of _platano_ covered in garlic and vinegar, two pieces of buttered and toasted bread, and even a cup of fruit. To accompany it, he had a glass of milk and apple juice. She sat in awe. Ghost trotted to her side and completed the picture perfect meal with a her favorite flower, a daisy, that he set to the side on the tray.

“Wow, you made all this yourself,” Madison asked in amazement. Charlie shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well I did get some help from Ghost here.” The dog barked in the affirmative.

Madison continued to stare down at the food that Charlie had painstakingly prepared. “B-but why?”

Charlie smiled warmly at her. “It’s Mother Day, Mads. And you _are_ Ghost’s mother.” Ghost barked as if to agree. Madison just stared at Charlie, blinking slowly. It took a bit to take in what he just said.

“O-okay.”

Charlie gestured to the tray of food. “Eat up before it gets cold.”

Madison picked up the knife and fork that had been set next to the plate of food. “I don’t think I can finish this all by myself.”

Charlie sat down in front of the tray while Ghost jumped up to lay by her side. “I mean I guess if you need the help.”

Madison smiled as she cut into the fluffy pancakes first. “How’d you even know how to make the _platanos_ and the dipping sauce,” she asked as she held up some pancake and opened her mouth.

Charlie blushed as he fiddled with the blanket. “Uh…I…uh looked it up. Saw some videos on YouTube that a Puerto Rican lady did. I know we don’t have one of those things to smash the garlic-”.

“A _pilón_ ,” Madison supplied.

“Yeah that. So I had to figure that part out. I got up early so I could make the batter for the pancakes.”

Madison’s eyes widened as she chewed on the pancake. “You made these from _scratch_!?”

Charlie looked down sheepishly, his eyes that sort of light gray green blue combo again. “Of course. You deserve it.” Madison’s body felt warm. She distracted herself by shoving more pancake down her throat. “Hey leave me a piece!”

The two of them were finishing off the breakfast that Charlie had prepared. Madison handed Ghost a piece of the turkey bacon. The dog gobbled it up with a few licks of his lips to show his appreciation. “No more food for you, boy. Daddy and I already gave you enough, you hear me.”

Ghost dropped his head with sad eyes and his ears laying back. “Trying to suck up to Mommy, I see. Won’t work Ghost. I’ve tried. She’s stubborn.”

Madison slapped Charlie’s chest. “Charlie,” she giggled. “Stop it!”

It was then Ricardo walked out from his room and saw the two of them with Ghost. “Oh. You are already up this early? With breakfast?”

Madison smiled at her father. “Yeah. Charlie and Ghost surprised me with a Mother’s Day breakfast.”

Ricardo nodded, his eyes flicking to Charlie for a second. “Ah. Well your mom is going to want to FaceTime you in a bit. She received the stuff we sent her and the flowers I had delivered.” Since they were on the west coast, her mother and sister had already been awake far longer than they had. She couldn’t wait to update them about how everything was going since she had spoken to them the week before. Since getting Ghost, she had less time to just talk to her family in Pennsylvania. Being a pet parent was serious business.

“Okay, Papi. Will do.” She turned back to Charlie who was waiting on her to feed him. She picked up the fork of the second to last bit of pancake and he opened his mouth wide for the buttery goodness. She heard her father walking out and mumbling something but she was more focused on Charlie shoving a _platano_ in his mouth.

Madison was happy and full as she walked out of her room, dressed for the day. She was going to get to FaceTime her mother and sister in a few minutes and was going to see if her father was done eating. She made her way up to the common area to see that Ricardo was not there and that Charlie was on the phone with Ghost laying at his side. He must be on the phone with his mom. He sounded like a hyper puppy as he babbled into the phone in French.

“ _T’aurais dû la voir quand je suis entrée avec Ghost. Elle dormait encore, tu sais. Elle était enroulée sou la couette et elle avait l’air adorable! Ses boucles étaient partout, on aurait dit un halo. Et sa peau brillait au soleil qui traversait les rideaux J’te promet que j’aurais pu juste m’asseoir et compter chacun de ses cils. Mon dieu, c’étai la chose la plus mignonne._ ”

He was speaking so fast that she couldn’t understand what he was saying for the life of her. She did catch him say Ghost though. So it was more than likely he was regaling his mother with the crazy things their dog tended to get up to. He really loved that mischievous pooch. She watched him a few more seconds as he spoke animatedly, his hands moving as if to illustrate what he was talking about.

Knowing that her father wasn’t there, she turned to go back to her room to wait for him. She would hang out with Owen but he was surely still sleeping. He was _definitely_ not a morning person. And Jeremy was with Carolynn out somewhere. She really didn’t want to bother anyone else since it was Mother’s Day after all.

The late afternoon had crept up on Madison. It had been a nice relaxed day. She and her father got to spend what must have been like two hours speaking to the family earlier. And Jeremy and Carolynn had been considerate enough to get her a little key chain saying Best Dog Mom on it. She was just watching an anime that Jeremy had recommended when she heard a knock on her open door. She paused the episode she was watching to see that Charlie was standing there with Ghost sitting next to him.

“Hey, what’s up,” she asked.

Charlie seemed shy as his eyes fought to stay on hers. “Well I was wondering if you wanted to go eat for Mother’s Day. There’s this Japanese place I heard about that’s really good.”

Madison was taken aback by the offer and how Charlie wasn’t his usual confident self. He couldn’t have been that worried she would say no. She loved hanging out with him. If the fact they had a dog together was any indication. “Oh uh sure. Let me just tell my dad real quick and I’ll get ready.”

Charlie seemed more relaxed at her answer. “Yeah okay. I’ll…uh wait here.”

Madison smiled at him as she went to see her father. The man was on the computer, most likely dealing with orders for the website he had created some months ago. “Hey Dad. So Charlie wants to go eat dinner. We’ll probably be back by nine or so,” she said. “Now what do I wear for a Mother’s Day dinner? I mean nothing too fancy of curse but not too casual,” she thought aloud.

Ricardo looked up from the computer, a little confused. “Okay. Let me just change into something else.” He moved to get up from where he was sitting.

Madison turned back to himand away from the extra clothes she had stuffed in his closet. “Dad. You’re fine. We’re only getting some food. It’s nothing to worry about,” Madison said casually.

Ricardo’s brows furrowed. “Right…I’ll just make sure I know where Charlie’s taking you just in case there’s a problem.”

“Yeah…okay,” Madison replied as she had her head stuffed in the closet in the search of what to wear.

When Madison was back in her room, she saw her father shaking Charlie’s hand with a stern look on his face. He probably wanted to be sure that Charlie drove safely and didn’t do anything crazy. “I’m ready,” she said, announcing her presence.

The two men looked towards her. Both their faces were more relaxed than before. Charlie’s eyes were soft and he had a small smile on his face. “You look really nice. These are for you,” Charlie complimented and handed her a full bouquet of daisies. She had decided on an off white silk top she had gotten recently that had blooming cherry blossoms on it. She had paired it with a pink mid thigh skirt that had a black hem, a pair of off white open toed wedge heels, and a purse.

“You look wonderful, sweetie. Have a good time,” Ricardo said as he walked over and kissed the top of her head and gave her a short but tight hug, taking the daisies to put them in water. If Madison didn’t know any better she’d swear it was a date especially with the fact Charlie was in a nice long sleeved shirt instead of his usual muscle tees and a pair of fitting jeans with his vans. But of course it wasn’t. It was just Charlie being extra like always. Besides he had women like Tori, Savannah, and others in the show’s crew to choose from that were near by. This was just two best friends having a dinner together…with their dog that they were definitely smuggling in.

With Ricardo not standing between them, Charlie was more comfortable. “You did your nails,” he said as he looked down at her painted toes.

Madison pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Is it too much,” she asked, a little self conscious at the matching pink finger and toe nails she had done.

Charlie shook his head. “Not at all. It’s perfect. Ready to go?”

Madison nodded and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers without thinking.

The two were now seated at a table with Ghost hidden underneath the table cloth. They were looking over the menu. “This place has some amazing stuff. Really authentic too. I don’t know what to choose!”

Charlie looked over at her. “We could go for one of those family style meals. They serve hot pots here.”

Madison’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Uh…let’s get the beef sukiyaki.”

Charlie nodded. “Sounds good. And what about to drink? You know I can get us something alcoholic if you want. They won’t notice.”

Madison bit her lip as she thought about it. Ghost nudged her hand with his nose. She rubbed his head, releasing some tension. “Well…I _have_ always wanted to try sake.”

A grin spread on Charlie’s face. “Then sake it is.”

The two musicians were laughing as they ate. It was so fun to just be and not worry about anyone else watching them over their shoulders. “Can you believe Owen did that? He just blurted it out,” Madison said as they remembered a scene that they had filmed a couple days before.

Charlie laughed as he nodded. “I know. Jer just stood there with his mouth hanging open. It was perfect.”

“It is going to be such a moment when people get to that episode,” Madison mentioned.

“Sure is. Let me just give Ghost a little more food.” He swished around a few cuts of beef and put it on the plate with some vegetables. They checked around to make sure no one was watching and Charlie slipped the plate onto the floor for Ghost to eat.

With a small break from their usual back and forth it gave Madison a moment to think about things. “So…why did you decide to make me breakfast and bring me to this place today?”

Charlie smiled behind the sake cup in his hand. “I told you. You deserve it. You may not realize it but you are an amazing mom to Ghost. I couldn’t handle him without you. And…this is the first Mother’s Day for you. It should be amazing.”

Madison’s cheeks got warm at the praise. “You are so weird.” Charlie just smirked at her.

“I’ll take it. Want some more sake?” He held the cup out for her.

“Yes please. Got to make sure to drink a lot of water and chew on something so my dad doesn’t catch the alcohol on my breath.” She let Charlie tip the cup to he lips and taste the rice wine on her tongue.

“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure you don’t have a PWI.” Madison arched her brow. “Passenger while intoxicated.” Madison shook her head at his lame joke.

Madison, Charlie, and Ghost walked back into the apartment, the two humans still a tad tipsy from the sake they had drunk earlier. “That was such a good dinner. We need to go back there again,” Madison said as Charlie guided her to the couch.

Charlie chuckled. “We will. You really know how to knock ‘em back, Mads.”

Mads giggled as she fought with her wedge heels. “Thanks. Mind helping me get these off. My feet are killing me.”

Charlie nodded as he got down on his knees and worked on the strap of one of the heels. “Let’s get you comfortable.”

“Mmm,” Madison mumbled and ran her hands through his hair. Charlie looked up at her, his eyes full of mirth. “You look like a giant puppy.”

“Yours,” he shot back with a lopsided grin as he took off her second heel. He set the heels to the side so no one (Owen) tripped over them. “There’s actually one more thing I wanted to give you today. I’ll be right back.” Madison stared at the spot he was just in as he left in a hurry. She looked to their dog for answers. He just sat in wait. She pouted and threw herself into the couch with crossed arms.

Charlie came back with his trusty acoustic in tow. “There you are! I thought you forgot about me.”

“Sorry. Owen stopped me for a second. But I thought of doing this the other day.” He quickly tuned his guitar as he sat down on the coffee table. “I know we didn’t give you a card earlier but there was too much to say in such a small space. So I came up with this. It’s a little rustic I guess but we hope you like it.” Ghost jumped up next to Charlie. Apparently he was joining in with whatever song Charlie wrote.

Today is your day

For mothers near and far

No matter the family

And that’s what we are

Sit down and relax a while

Cause you deserve it all

Listen to these words

Time for our curtain call

We’re here to say I love you

Never forget being in your arms

Hold tight as one together

God bless you Mom

Every day is a new adventure

Nothing is the same

Riding along with you

Thank you for my name

We are not done yet

There is more ahead

Keeping you in mind

Please no more tears shed

We’re here to say I love you

Never forget being in your arms

Hold tight as one together

God bless you Mom

Life is better by your side

From now to forever

Through the good and the bad

All through the stormy weather

We’re hear to say I love you

Never forget being in your arms

Hold tight as one together

God bless you Mom

Madison was mesmerized as Charlie sang to her, Ghost coming in with a few notes to compliment him. He had never taken his eyes off hers as he had sang and strummed his guitar. His eyes were so beautiful and bright the whole time as if there was a promise of happiness in them. She was speechless as tears slid down her face in a slow trickle.

“That was beautiful,” she breathed out.

Another one of Charlie’s soft smiles appeared. “Thanks. Shh. Don’t cry,” he soothed as he set his guitar down and wiped away the tears. Ghost climbed up and snuggled into her stomach. It was his way of showing comfort.

“I can’t help it,” Madison laughed out. “I never expected you to write me a song!”

Charlie simply smiled and held her face in his hands.

The comfortable quiet was interrupted by Owen. “Oh. I didn’t realize anyone was in here. Uh…sorry. I-I’ll go,” he stuttered out and backed out of the common area.

The two watched him go and fell into each other laughing at his awkward exit. “I think it’s time to go to bed.”

Charlie nodded. “I think so.”

Madison stopped outside her bedroom door, her heels in one hand. “Well I guess that’s the end of Mother’s Day. Thank you for all you did today. I loved the song. It was perfectly cheesy and sweet at the same time.”

Charlie smiled, his cheeks a slight pink with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets. “No problem. I just wanted you to have a day to be pampered. Next year I’ll be sure to set an appointment at the spa for you.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “Always have to show off.” The two of them fell into silence again, just staring at each other.

Charlie took her by surprise and leaned down and kissed her cheek tenderly. “Good night, Mads,” he whispered. Madison knew her face must have been getting red. Charlie was an unpredictable one. He looked down at Ghost who was sitting next to Madison. “You too, boy. Keep Mommy warm.” Ghost licked the hand Charlie held out.

Charlie’s eyes returned to hers. “Good night, Charlie,” she replied in that same hushed tone as him. Charlie smiled, biting his lip as he walked backwards towards the stairs. She giggled as he tripped trying to get up them while still looking at her.

She waved at him as she turned to go into her room. “Today sure was eventful, huh, Ghost?”


	13. Dress Fitting and Whooping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, Maddie gets to try on a prototype of sorts of the dress she's going to wear to the In the Heights premiere. The designer who makes the dress is a real person and he makes beautiful pieces and is a supporter of BLM and uses various WOC as models in his fashion shoots. For anyone who wants to check out his clothing, this is the website: https://jhoansebastiangrey.com. 
> 
> Other than the dress fitting, Maddie shows the boys who is boss in this house in the best way. Maddie is the HBIC! Also, as of the last chapter, Charlie is sort of courting Madison and taking her out to places. Of course Charlie and Madison don't realize this is basically what they are doing. Enjoy!

What was quickly becoming a common occurrence in the band's apartment, Madison, Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy were trying to figure out the plot of the telenovela they were watching. They had been binging the episodes every night with the others and as such, they had come up with their own theories. Owen as the resident Bachelorette and Real Housewives watcher, kept insisting he was right as he knew what contrived drama looked like.

“No! You are wrong! Esmeralda is good! She’s not trying to off Marisa,” Madison yelled at the sole blond of the group.

Owen shook his head and pointed his finger in Madison’s face. “Esmeralda didn’t tell her about the key she found. Ow! You bit my finger!”

Madison laughed as he cradled his digit. “Well to be more precise _Charlie_ bit your finger.” Owen glared at his floor mate.

Charlie slapped Owen upside the head. “Don’t point your fingers at people. It’s rude,” he admonished the younger musician.

Jeremy nodded at the other end of the coffee table from Madison. “He’s right. In some situations, someone could take that as a sign you want to fight.”

Owen glared at all of them. “What is it, gang up on Owen day,” he whined. As if to prove him right, Ghost, who had been relaxing on the end of the couch next to his father, sneaked behind him and grabbed the back of his underwear and pulled. “OW!!!” Ghost popped his head out and barked to show it was him. "Why you little-,” Owen growled reaching for the dog. Owen undoubtedly getting shown up by Ghost again was stopped by a knock at the door to the apartment.

Ricardo jogged over to the door coming from the kitchen. “That must be the designer for your fitting,” he said.

Madison checked her phone to see that her phone had set off three reminders about her fitting appointment. She probably didn’t hear it over Owen trying to argue his useless point. “Oh yeah. Sorry boys. We’ll have to pick this up tonight when we watch the next episode.”

Jeremy grabbed the food they had been eating while Charlie picked up Ghost before Owen could try to tackle him. “Well that’s our cue to vamoos. We’ll see you later, Mads,” Jeremy said as he put the plates and food in the sink. Owen glared at Ghost as he followed behind the bassist.

Ricardo opened the door to greet the designer Jhoan Sebastian Grey. He was a sweet Colombian man with a jean jacket over his DNA t shirt, some nice slacks, and loafers. He had on his glasses with his hair slicked just right. He smiled at everyone. “ _Hola a todos_ ,” he said simply.

Madison smiled at the man who had two bags on his arms and an assistant probably around Jeremy’s age with even more things. “ _Hola, Sebastian._ _Me llamo Maddie. Mucho gusto_ ,” she greeted the designer with a handshake and a kiss on each cheek.

Sebastian returned the cheek kisses. “ _Gracias. Hablas español muy bien._ ” The unexpected compliment threw Madison off and she blushed while looking away a little embarrassed.

“Oh…thank you. I’ve been working on it.” She saw her father smile behind the two designers.

“Have a good fitting, sis,” Owen said as he walked out the open door behind Jeremy.

“Yeah. Can’t wait to see what your red carpet look is going to be,” Jeremy said and waved back at her.

Charlie went to follow after the other two. “Uh Charlie I actually wanted to speak to you for a moment.” Charlie nodded and handed Ghost off to his designated sitter. Owen glared daggers at the dog who did the same back to him.

“Mongrel,” Owen muttered as he and Jeremy walked down the hall of the apartment building.

Ricardo was back in the kitchen and setting up some snacks for the fitting. With Sebastian and his assistant talking amongst themselves while looking over a sketchpad, this allowed semi privacy for Madison and Charlie.

“So…what was it you wanted to talk about?” Madison could tell Charlie was a little nervous by the way he was rubbing the back of his neck.

Madison smiled at the nervous tic of his. “Well…since I am getting my dress sized today…I thought it would be a good idea to ask if you wanted to match for the premiere?”

Charlie’s brows scrunched together. “Uh…match?”

Madison played with the strings on the waistband of her pants. “What I am trying to ask is…if you wouldn’t mind being my date for the premiere and after party? I mean…I figured we could make it a little family thing. You, me, and Ghost….”. Her voice was nearly a whisper as she left the sentence open.

Charlie’s face brightened and a goofy smile spread on his face. His eyes were almost blue as they twinkled. “Y-yeah. I’d like that. What are you putting Ghost in?”

Now that they were on familiar ground with their dog, Madison felt less anxious. “I was thinking a vest and have the Puerto Rican flag on the back. Something cute like that.”

Charlie nodded. “Sounds good. Once your dress is done, we can figure out what I need to wear to match.”

Madison stood and smiled at him. “Perfect…I’ll see you later, _cariño_?”

Charlie’s eyes went soft at the name. “ _Toujours, mon petit chou_ ,” he replied in that soft voice he only seemed to use with her and gave her knuckles a kiss. “Better catch up with the guys,” he said and opened the door, still looking at her.

“Yeah…bye,” Madison replied in a breathy voice.

Madison was broken from her trance by Sebastian’s voice. “You and your _novio_ are sweet together.”

“Oh…we’re not….he’s my best friend,” Madison replied, flustered. Sebastian simply smiled at her. “I guess we can start with the fitting,” Madison said to change the subject.

Madison stood in her undergarments with the dress drapedover her as Sebastian’s assistant, Viola, put in the last pin to cinch the waist of the dress. “Just a few inches off. The backside needs more room. And the chest fits well,” Viola noted as Sebastian wrote the adjusted measurements down.

“Good, good. Now the color is good, yes,” he asked Madison as he held up the orange fabric.

She looked it over as she thought about what look she wanted to go for. “Uh…yeah. I think this burnt orange works well. I just need to find a suit for Charlie that can work with this.”

Sebastian nodded as he held up the sketchpad to her. “Wonderful. You want to keep the bust shape the same?”

Madison nodded. “Sí, it’s perfect.” Madison adjusted herself so she didn’t make Viola lose her place as she wrapped a piece of weaved leather around her legs. She was scared of accidentally stepping on the material or a toe going through one of the loops.

“I think we'll need more for the bottom, sir. With the way her bottom is rounded and her thighs, the leather is too tight.”

Sebastian nodded as he scratched the information down. He pushed his glasses up his nose, very anime like to Madison. “Measure the bottom half again for me, Viola. Your measurements are different than what your costume designer gave me two weeks ago.”

Madison chuckled. “Oh…uh I’ve been working out. Doing a lot of squats, self defense classes…I guess the results are showing now.”

Sebastian smiled at that. “That’s good. I am sure your _best friend_ enjoys that.”

Madison’s face reddened. She looked down at her feet. It wasn’t like that. She liked feeling more active and learning to protect herself. Charlie didn’t matter in that. Even if he did say that she had a nice figure. “Is there anything else we need to do for the fitting,” she squeaked out, still staring at her feet.

Madison was practically skipping as she walked onto set. Her dress was coming along wonderfully and she could now spend time with her boys. Charlie had sent her a text while she was still in her fitting. He said that he was working on some special effects with the boys. She wondered what kind of special effects Kenny had thought of. He always had crazy ideas that just worked.

“I can’t believe they did that,” she heard from one of the crew as she passed. It was a little odd but she wasn’t going to pry.

“Can you believe he could hold himself like that?” Well that was another strange comment between more crew.

“Did they have something to protect their hands when the rope started to go?” Okay now Madison was really curious because as she went towards the studio there seemed to be more weird things she heard.

“I _cannot_ believe they really Mission Impossible-d Ghost down to prank Kenny,” she heard Tori exclaim to Savannah. Madison stopped in her tracks at the words of the Asian woman. She turned towards her two castmates and stomped over to them, her blood rising.

“Sorry. Did I just hear you say Ghost was reclined down to scare Kenny?”

Tori and Savannah looked at Madison with a bit of fear in their eyes. Oh hell no. That did not bode well. “Uh….y-y-yes,” Tori stammered out, inching closer to her fellow dancer.

Madison’s eyes narrowed. “And who may I ask did this?” Her voice was sharp and clear. She meant business.

Savannah held onto Tori, both of them shaking. “The…b-boys,” she mumbled out, her hands holding Tori tighter.

Madison stepped right up to them, her eyes burning into them. “What? Boys?”

At this point, Tori and Savannah were cowering against the wall. “Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy,” Tori answered.

Madison gave them a saccharine smile. “Thank you. I have some Phantoms to kill.” She turned on her heel and stormed off in search of her boys.

After looking around the set, because Madison knew they wouldn’t go to the most obvious place, she found them laughing and goofing off with Ghost in his father’s arms. She was about to burst their little happy bubble. “JADEN JEREMY! OWEN PATRICK! CHARLES JEFFREY!”

She saw all three of her bandmates freeze and their heads snap to her faster than Sacha’s did in the last scene of season 1. All the color left their faces and they scrambled to get away, Ghost jumping out of Charlie’s arms and trotting up to her. The dog barked happily and jumped to get her to pick him up. “Not right now, baby. I have to kill your daddy and uncles. I’ll be a single parent after this.” Madison pet the dog’s head and stalked to the men who had fallen all over themselves in their haste to get away.

They were practically one as they all curled up in the hopes of reducing the pain she was about to induce on them. “Please God have mercy on us,” Owen whimpered as he tried to curl more into Charlie’s side.

“Tell Carolynn I love her,” Jeremy begged as Madison came closer.

“Mads be gentle,” Charlie asked in a last ditch effort as Madison hovered over the pile of man children.

To the boys’ relief, Booboo skidded in the way, blocking Madison from her targets. “Woah! Slow your roll, girl. You can’t kill them. Kind of essential to the whole Julie and the Phantoms, you know,” he tried to placate the young woman.

Madison grimaced. “BB, out of the way. They could have hurt my baby by being stupid! And given Kenny a heart attack!”

Booboo held up his arms to keep Madison at bay. “Ghost is fine. You can see for yourself,” he said, gesturing to said dog who was watching with wrapt attention. “It was like going for a walk for him. He had a harness on just like always. And Kenny is okay. He got a little fright from the prank but otherwise no harm. Okay?”

Madison narrowed her eyes at the man. “Nope. They can’t get away with that just because everything is “okay”,” she replied with no nonsense air about her.

Booboo sighed. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but….if you want to get to them, you’ll have to get through me first.” He pulled his hair up and put it into a bun, a few stray hairs falling down. Madison saw the boys’ eyes widen at Booboo’s statement. He was a skilled martial artist. They probably figured he’d immobilize her in a matter of seconds.

Madison cracked her bones and took her stance. “Fine by me.” Booboo followed suit and settled into a classic kenpo stance.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Madison moved quick as she swerved to sneak around from the left. Booboo slid to the side and caught her leg with his foot and pushed her back. Madison grabbed his arm as it was leaving from her stomach and quickly turned on her heel using the momentum to flip him over her back just like he told her a couple weeks before. He hit the floor with a hard thud. He stared up at the ceiling a little shocked before twisted around and catching her legs with his causing her to tumble.

Booboo moved to lock her down against the floor but Madison flipped them over and had him in a headlock. Booboo scraped at her hands which were tight around his throat. He seemed to realize it was no use and instead elbowed her side causing her to lose her grip. He flung her off of him and she had to roll to not hit the floor.

Some of Booboo’s hair was coming undone from his bun and his eyes blazed as he resumed his initial stance. “You are scrappier than I thought. Too bad you are going to lose, Mads.”

Madison locked eyes with the martial artist. “We’ll see about that,” Madison countered as she readied for her next attack.

In quite the twist, no one ended up winning. Madison and Booboo had locked on each other and were in a pretzel that not even Twister could come up with. Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy had long since stopped fearing for their lives and had watched the two battle it out with Ghost. Madison would curse them out for treating the matter like a tennis match but she didn’t want to lose focus and let Booboo get the upper hand on her.

“Uh….I think it's a tie,” Owen said as he walked up to them. Ghost barked in agreement.

Charlie looked at the knots that Madison and Booboo had gotten themselves into. “It’s a good thing it’s you and not us in that.” Booboo and Madison both rolled their eyes and glared at him. “Sorry.”

“So do you think you let out enough aggression on Booboo that you don’t want to murder us,” Owen asked hopefully. Madison’s eyes cut to him. Owen’s hopeful face dropped. “We’ll just get ready for our funeral.”

Ghost barked happily at this. “Man, our dog is a sadist,” Charlie remarked.


	14. Little Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been a long one coming. You guys finally get to know the great mystery surrounding Owen. Just to be clear the thing that is mentioned in this chapter, I thought of it for the purpose of this fic. In no way shape or form am I saying that this is true or reality. Please understand that and do not harass anyone, thank you. Enjoy!

Madison’s display of skill against Booboo had impressed him enough that he was giving her martial arts lessons. It was a great experience but Madison was taking a very much needed break from everything with Charlie and Ghost. The two were just having fun playing with their boy after going out for ice cream. The weather had started to get warmer as it moved closer to June.

Ghost jumped around as he followed the toy in Charlie’s hands. “Look at the toy. See it,” Charlie taunted as he waved it around. Madison laughed as she went into one of Charlie’s drawers to find her socks. As she spent more and more time with him, she had started leaving stuff in his room. She fished around to find the cozy ones she liked to wear in the cooler room.

“You know he’s going to tackle you to get his squeaky hot dog,” Madison reminded as she found the socks she was looking for. She kicked off her sneakers and pulled off the booties she had on to replace them with other socks.

Charlie was smiling as he dodged Ghost trying to jump on him. “But that is what makes it fun, Mads.”

Madison shook her head as she pulled her phone out. “If that’s the case I’ll just document this for all the Phantoms to see. Ghost beating you at your own game.”

Charlie beat his chest with the dog toy still in hand. “Ha! I am the master!” Ghost took Charlie’s moment of distraction to jump for his beloved toy. Madison burst out laughing as the small dog was able to cause Charlie to stumble on the bed.

“You were saying Great Master,” Madison teased with a huge smile on his face.

Charlie rolled on top of the toy, looking at Ghost challengingly. “What are you going to do now, huh?” Ghost surged forward and licked into Charlie’s open mouth. “UGH! Yuck! Ghost,” Charlie cried as he rolled a bit to pull the bottom of his sleeveless tee up to his mouth try to wipe off the germs and taste of dog tongue.

Madison loved seeing Charlie play with their son. His inner child came out even more and his was just so hyper and bubbly. Ghost just loved it. Especially since he got so much attention. “This is some great footage right here,” Madison said as she kept recording the two roughhousing on Charlie’s bed.

The family had a guest come in when Owen walked through the door. He was unusually quiet and reserved. He didn’t even spare a glare or comment at Ghost. Thankfully the dog was too occupied with Charlie to notice his enemy’s weird behavior. Owen went up to her, this look of anxiousness clear on his face.

Seeing his state, Madison stopped recording and put her phone down. “Hey O. You okay?”

Owen nodded jerkily. “Uh yeah. I uh just wanted to know if we could talk.” Owen had not acted so awkward with since they first met. Whatever was bugging him immediately worried Madison. She didn’t like it when his anxiety got so high like that.

“Sure. Of course,” she replied reassuringly. Owen was still being stiff and moved his feet a little as if he was scratching the floor with his toes.

Owen nodded. “Um…can we go to my room? Is that okay?” Madison’s brows furrowed at his question. He was really nervous and scared about something. Her chest tightened at seeing this. She wanted to rub his back and whisper that everything would be okay.

“Yes. Of course it is,” she said making sure she was as sincere as possible. Madison turned her eyes back to the wrestling human father and dog son. “Owen and I are going to talk. Call me if anything, okay?”

Charlie grunted as Ghost jumped on his back and tugged at his hair. “Ow! Ghost bad boy!Okay. We’ll be here. Get off you little bug,” Charlie muttered to Ghost as Madison left with Owen.

Once Madison and Owen were settled on his bed and away from any chaos, Madison could see the buzzing in his body. He honestly looked like he could hurl any second. “So what is it you wanted to talk about,” she asked gently and quietly to not startle him.

Owen took a few deep breaths to calm himself. She waited patiently while he did this. Whatever was going on was something serious for Owen. “Okay…I know you and Charlie have been wondering why I’ve been acting the way I have. And I know you want to know about what happened when I walked out of the rehearsal room with Mitch a few weeks ago.”

Madison sat straighter. She and Charlie had been curious and a little worried but hadn’t noticed Owen saw that. “We have. Talked a bit about it but we obviously never wanted to pry.”

Owen nodded, looking at his hands which were laying in his lap. “I know. And I am grateful. But I can’t keep holding this in anymore. I need to talk to someone.”

Madison reached forward and grabbed his right hand, squeezing it. “Just take your time. I’m right here. Not going anywhere.”

Owen smiled at her, his eyes getting a little watery. “Th-thanks. I guess I’ll tell you what happened with Mitch that day.”

_Owen whispered to Mitch that he needed a break from being in the room and asked if Mitch wouldn’t mind going outside the room with him. The thin brunette nodded and stood up with him. They left the others in the room as Owen made himself home in the corner of the hallway. Mitch stood next to him, without saying anything._

_“I…I wanted to explain myself. For why I haven’t been putting my all into the song.” Mitch nodded without a word. He was obviously letting Owen control the conversation. “Uh….when did you know you were gay?”_

_Mitch’s well manicured brows arched just a little at the unexpected question. “Well I always kind of knew. Even as a little kid. When I met Scott I just knew he was special to me compared to all the other boys I had tried to become friends with.” Owen nodded jerkily. “Why honey?” Mitch continued to be gentle with him and not push for anything._

_Owen smiled awkwardly at Mitch trying to ease the tension. “I’ve just been confused. I always thought I was straight. That I just was more in touch with my feminine side since I loved musical theatre, you know. But recently, I don’t know. Am I? How do you even figure that out?”_

_Mitch grabbed his shoulders and rubbed them softly, his big doe brown eyes full of warmth. “Your sexuality is not cut and dry like that Owen. How you express yourself does not define that either. Being comfortable in your skin does not mean anything. Figuring it out takes time. And the way to do that…well it is different for everyone. The first thing you should know is not to make assumptions about yourself based off what others say or think. Do you understand?”_

_Owen nodded, finding a sort of calm looking at the eyes in front of him. “Yes Mitch.”_

_Mitch smiled a little, his dimples peeking out. “Good. Now if you really do have doubts about your sexuality. Just think about everything first. Take time to look at it all from every angle.”_

_Owen nodded again. “O-okay. The reason I asked is because….um Booboo.”_

_Mitch nodded. “Ah. I see now.” Owen looked down, embarrassed at his admission. “Hey. None of that now. You are questioning things. That is okay. But that doesn’t mean you have to freak out sweetie.” Mitch held Owen’s face in his hands, looking at him like he was a baby. “I know this is scary. Trust me I do. Scott didn’t come out until after he was away at college. You don’t need to overthink everything. If you let your thoughts overwhelm you, it will backfire. It happened to me so many times. Anxiety is a bitch like that. Act normal. Don’t freeze up. Okay?”_

_Mitch stroked his cheek like a soothing mother. Owen nuzzled into his hand. “Yeah. I get it. Thanks Mitch.”_

_Mitch smiled at him and leaned up and kissed his forehead. “Thank god you are shorter than my big boy. Having to wear heels just to look him in the eye,” Mitch muttered to himself. Owen laughed at the out of nowhere comment. “There’s that smile. Now let’s get back in there and watch Scott torture Booboo, huh?”_

_A huge smile spread on Owen’s face. “Yeah. I’d like that.” Mitch looped his left arm with Owen’s right and the two walked back to the doors leading to the rehearsal room._

Madison sat in shock, now knowing what it was that happened that day. “Wow…so you’ve been questioning this whole time?”

Owen nodded. “Yeah…fucking pandemic! With nowhere to go and no one to really talk to, you start to think too much. Seeing all the comments from fans and then even stuff people I knew said….I just started to spiral I guess.”

“Oh Owen…,” Madison said as she squeezed his arm.

Owen sighed. “I started wondering you know. I mean I had all these friends I got along with….and I have always had trouble with relationships. I thought it was my anxiety but maybe it’s not. It is just….I questioned if that meant there was more to my friendships…like with Charlie. We get along really well. Could I actually like him,” Owen rambled. Madison’s eyebrow rose. Owen noticed. “Hey I am not trying to take your man,” he chuckled.

Madison scowled at him. “You _know_ it is not like that between us. Besides he can get anyone around his age or older.”

Owen scoffed. “Yeah. And I’m Mother Teresa. You just don’t want to see what is right in front of you. Now as I was saying.” Madison rolled her eyes. “I knew I didn’t have any attraction to Charlie. I even tried dating a few months back. With the show renewal and filming that ended though. So I thought maybe I was wrong. Then I get here and see Booboo and I feel like a little girl with her first crush.”

Madison nodded as she rubbed his arm. “Yeah that sucks. So you really think you might like Booboo?”

Owen nodded, letting out a shaky breath. “Y-yeah. I do. I may not know what my sexuality is exactly but I do know I feel relaxed and comfortable around him.”

Madison smiled. “That’s good, baby. That’s real good. I am proud of you for taking a step, no matter how small it may seem.”

Owen smiled at her but it was pained. “Thanks. But I am screwed. He has a girlfriend and is probably straight. I am a walking stereotype! Crushing on a guy who will never spare me a second glance. And he’s my friend and costar. Why couldn’t I like some random person I saw on the internet. This is going to ruin everything,” he cried.

Madison shook his arm to snap him out of his fit. “Hey! What did Mitch tell you? Stop overthinking! One. You don’t know if he is straight or not. And second this crush might fade over time. Stop thinking it’s the end of the world.”

Owen’s blue green eyes were watery and he had a pathetic frown on his pretty face. “You think so?”

Madison ruffled his perfectly set hair. “Yes. You can’t think in absolutes. You also can’t predict the future. Enjoy the friendship and not think about all that other stuff.”

“O-okay. Do you have a tissue?”

Madison laughed and pulled out the bandana she had stuffed in her jean pocket. “Here you can use Charlie’s bandana. You can count it as a prank against him when you give it back to him.”

Owen smiled at that. “That’s genius. He’ll be so disgusted!” Owen’s eyes were sparkling now at the chance to mess with their best friend.

Knowing that Owen was feeling better about things, Madison had a few things last things she wanted to go over. “I love you to death Owen but I _am_ wondering why you came to me with this. You and Savannah have been friends for years. Why wouldn’t you go to her first?”

Owen looked away to collect himself. “I do but I’ve been feeling closer to you. I mean besides playing friends on the show, I’ve spent more time with you since you are always with Charlie. With Ghost, you two are always together and I am his roommate so…it makes sense. And then we’ve also started really finding our own groove together.”

Madison forced herself not to tear up at the honest words. Owen was usually so goofy and making jokes that it was a little off-putting to see him so vulnerable this way. “Thank you. You don’t know what that means to me.”

Owen hugged her to his side. “You’re welcome, Mads.”

Madison smiled into the hug. “Oh! I forgot. What about Charlie and the others? You know Charlie is going to want to know what’s going on and we don’t like to keep things from each other.”

Owen sighed again. “Yeah…I’ll tell him. And Jeremy too who will obviously tell Carolynn.”

Madison hugged him close. “I can be there when you tell Charlie. I know you’re worried since he is your best friend.”

“I’d like that.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Glad that is all settled. Now all we have to do is slay our roles and performances and we are golden.”

Owen laughed out at her brazen words. “Yes, sis!” The two high fived and then did their handshake, the hip bump included.

Their laughter was interrupted by Charlie’s exclamation of pain. “Ghost! Stop pulling on my pant leg. We’re going to Mommy. Stop being so pushy!” Madison shook her head at the fool that she parented with.


	15. In Sickness and In Health

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For this chapter, I had trouble figuring out what was going to be the cause but decided with the classic was best. I based the pain and struggles of food poisoning off my own experiences with it. Also Charlie gets the brain cell for once and has an epiphany at the end. Enjoy!

Charlie should have know there was something wrong when Madison didn’t finish her dinner, drank water exclusively, and took a little too long in the bathroom. But he had been oblivious. Now he was very aware as he held back Madison’s hair as she threw up what she had earlier, even the crepes he made her for breakfast that morning. Madison groaned and slumped against the toilet, trying to catch her breath. Charlie sighed and rubbed her back with his free hand. “Do you want some water, _mon petit chou_?” Madison groaned again. “Guess that's a no.”

He felt horrible. It was his stupid decision to go out to that restaurant. And he had gotten Madison sick with food poisoning. What if she got a parasite or something? He had read stories of that happening. The timing was the worst too. Not only were they supposed to be working on their big duet coming up, it was also the month of the In the Heights premiere. She had a Spanish performance to rehearse. Getting sick at the moment was ruining lots of work.

“Charlie,” Madison groaned, snapping him from his swirling thoughts. “I need held getting up,” she mumbled. “My legs feel weak.”

The 22 year old sprung into action and wrapped one arm around the Latina’s waist and threw her other arm over his neck. He was leaning her against him as he slowly stood up when Ric came into the bathroom doorway. “What happened? Why is she sick?”

Charlie hated lying to the man and reluctantly replied, “She ate something when we were out that didn't agree with her stomach.” As if to prove his point, Madison groaned again and threw her head into his neck as if it would lessen the pain. “I’m here, Mads. Don’t worry. We’ll get you better before you know it.”

Ric looked at his daughter worriedly. Her skin had lost its glow and had almost yellow tint to it compared to the shining brown it usually was. Charlie could also feel her body was not as warm. He was also keeping her up right and not curled in on herself from the pain coursing through her stomach.

“I’m going to the store to find some meds for her,” Ricardo said, his eyes watching Madison. “Where’s Ghost?”

Madison was basically dead weight against Charlie causing him to change his tactic to sweeping her into a bridal lift. “Jer and Care are watching him. I don’t want him getting worried for his Mommy. So I’ll get him when Mads is able to sleep.”

Ricardo nodded. “Alright. I’ll be right back. Call if something happens.” Ricardo left the doorway, off to get the keys to the rental they had gotten for the duration of filming.

Madison moaned in pain. “Charlie, it hurts,” she grumbled, holding her stomach.

Charlie’s eyes stung. He hated this. I know, _mon petit chou_. I know,” he replied in a soothing tone.

Charlie pushed Madison’s curls behind her ear as she curled up further with the heating pad on her stomach. “The meds should kick in soon, I promise,” he whispered as he stroked the back of his hand against her cheek. Madison tried to move closer to his hand. The pain across her face broke him. If only he could take her place so she didn’t have to suffer.

“Charlie,” she whimpered brokenly.

“I called your mom and she says you should take a warm bath and to massage your stomach. That will help ease the pain a bit,” Ricardo said from somewhere to Charlie’s right. He was too focused on watching Madison for any sign of distress to look at the man.

Madison was too far gone to even acknowledge her father’s words. “I got it Ric. Thanks.”

The silence of the room was broken by Owen and Jeremy bursting in. “We heard from Ric that Madison is sick! What happened,” Owen shouted in worry.

“Yeah. Is she okay,” Jeremy asked right after.

Charlie glared at his two bandmates. “Lower your voices. Maddie is trying to relax,” he growled. The two rockers looked properly chastised and nodded meekly. “And yes. She’s sick,” Charlie sighed out, the sadness evident in his voice. “She has food poisoning. Got it from something we ate at the restaurant earlier.”

Owen and Jeremy’s faces were full of worry for their friend. “That’s not good. We’ll have to tell Kenny right away. We don’t know how long it will last,” Owen said.

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah man. Her double will have to be used and we’ll have to film scenes she is not in for the time being. Not to mention Ghost.”

Charlie sighed again at the facts laid out for him. “I know. I already texted Kenny about it. And I’m going to be here with Mads to help her get better. I’ve got Ghost. Don’t worry about him.”

Owen and Jeremy looked at each other and then back at the hazel eyed guitarist. “What do you mean you’ll ‘be here’? Charlie we still have to film,” Owen said as if Charlie didn’t know.

“Yeah Charlie. It is nice of you to offer but I’ll take care of my little girl. You just worry about doing your best on set. I’ll keep you updated, you know that,” Ricardo said, trying to be the voice of reason.

“No,” Charlie snapped. “I am staying with Madison. It’s my fault that she’s sick. I am not going to leave her here and not take responsibility.”

The other three men in the room sighed. “We’re not saying you are being irresponsible. You have things to do. There is still a show going on,” Ricardo said, trying to not cause Charlie to explode.

The argument was halted by Madison’s weak voice. “ _Cariño_ …please don’t leave.” She was forcing her eyes to stay open and look at Charlie. The brown was faded and far from its usual vibrancy that Charlie adored to look into.

Charlie rushed to stroke her cheek and calm her. “I am not going anywhere. I’ll be right here at your side.” Her eyes grew soft as she put her hand over his on her face. The moment was ruined by a wave of pain coursing through her stomach causing her to scream.

“Madison,” all four men cried out.

Charlie’s lips were etched into a deep scowl as he watched helplessly. He looked over to Owen and Jeremy. “I’m staying. That’s final.”

The blond and brunet nodded solemnly. “Do you want me to get Ghost from Care and bring him,” Jeremy asked.

Charlie looked back to Madison who was trying to force herself to sleep. “…Yeah. Maybe Ghost being near will ease the pain in a way.”

It was near two in the morning and Charlie was still at Madison’s bedside. He knew that the meds she had earlier would wear off and she’d need another dose. Ghost was laying at her side and watching over her as well. Whenever she moaned in pain, he would lick her cheek and nuzzle herface. This would bring a momentary smile and a reflexed pet on his head. “Charlie, I know you want to help but you need some rest, kid. Go get some sleep. I’ll watch her through the night.”

Charlie shook his head. “No. I told her I’m not leaving. I meant it.”

“I know you want to be there for Madison but crashing from exhaustion isn’t good either,” Ricardo explained.

Charlie didn’t respond and simply held Madison’s hand tighter. She had clung to him as she slept and he didn’t have the heart to separate their hands. Anything that could make her feel marginally better was worth it. He noticed a split second before it happened. Madison’s brows twitched and then she sprung up from the bed and ran for the bathroom. Charlie scrambled to his feet and followed after her, Ghost jumping up as well.

Madison was throwing up pure bile and clinging to the toilet. Charlie slid on his knees to her and quickly picked up her hair. Ghost was licking her hand and crying. The dog nudged her arm out of the way and sat in her lap, resting his head on her neck. “Ghost come here. I know you want to help Mommy feel better but she might get vomit on you.”

Madison turned her head in his direction. “It’s fine Charlie. I think I let it all-”. Madison’s reassurances were cut short by another onslaught of vomit coming out….onto him. Madison wiped her mouth with her hand, feeling disgusted with herself. “I-I’m so sorry Charlie. I didn’t mean to,” she cracked out from a dry mouth. Charlie shook his head as he sat with the contents of Madison’s stomach all over him.

“No. Don’t be. You are sick. You can’t help it. But we do need to get this off.”

There was someone shaking him. He didn’t know why. He felt this uncomfortableness under him and one of his arms ached but was tethered to something soft and warm. He forced his eyes to open. It felt like his eyelids were lead as they seemed far too heavy. Everything was blurry and out of focus for a few seconds before he saw the man who gave so many of his physical traits to the girl Charlie was holding on to.

“Hey, you fell asleep sitting here. Go take a quick shower, get some fresh clothes, and I’ll have a coffee for you. Charlie was hesitant to leave Madison. His hand was glued to hers. They were one. Ricardo seemed to see his hesitancy. “Please. Your body looks uncomfortable all twisted like that. I’ll be here to watch.”

Charlie ultimately agreed. His body did feel achey and he smelt faintly like vomit from the middle of the night. He didn’t want to repulse Madison who was already having a hard enough time as it was. And as her father, Ricardo surely could handle her care in his absence. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t going to be as fast as possible. Especially since he still had to do his duties as Ghost’s father.

A few hours had passed since Charlie was woken up and now Madison was awake, rocking herself with the heating pad in place. “I don’t know what is worse, this or period cramps,” Madison hissed through clenched teeth.

Charlie rubbed up and down her arm, looking on sympathetically. “Where in your stomach does it hurt,” he asked as he pushed a few curls from getting in her mouth.

Madison moved the heating pad away for a second to point almost in the center of her stomach and going up to just under the middle of her ribs. “Here almost like a ball. It’s like the pain radiates from it and causes my whole stomach to ripple with the sensation. And my stomach feels tight and swollen too.” Charlie shuffled closer and leaned over kissing the spot she pointed to. “Ch-Charlie…”.

Madison ran her fingers through his hair. He looked up at her through his lashes, his eyes a greenish blue. “Better,” he whispered out.

Still holding him to her stomach, Madison’s voice was just as gentle as she responded. “Y-yeah.” Charlie nuzzled his nose into her stomach and took in her scent. Underneath the medicinal smell of Vick’s he could practically taste her natural aroma. It soothed his frazzled nerves and he was tempted to fall asleep with the scent surrounding him this way.

To the singers’ frustration, Madison had to put the heating pad back on and take more meds as Charlie trying to kiss the ‘boo boo’ away only lasted so long. Even though, they could hold each other closer, Charlie still opted to massage her aching side. “Mmm right along my hip bone,” Madison said.

Charlie did as she said and worked his fingers and palm into the spot where the pain was. Ghost had switched positions and had his head laying on her thighs. The added weight gave Madison a little comfort. She had likened it to having a gravity blanket. Knowing that little tidbit let Charlie know what he was getting her for Christmas. A gravity blanket was a little much for the heat of summer, given the fact that her birthday was a few weeks ago.

A knock came at Madison’s door. “Come in,” Charlie called out as he continued his task to relax Madison. The door opened to reveal Owen and Jeremy. They looked in cautiously. They had obviously learned their lesson from the last time. Charlie rolled his eyes at them. “You’re fine. Mads is awake.”

“Unfortunately,” Madison grumbled as she shift a little to lay more on her back. “Other side,” she asked to Charlie. Charlie obliged without question and went to work.

Owen and Jeremy stood there quiet, looking at the two. “You two going to speak or are we supposed to guess,” Charlie said.

This shook their bandmates out of the stupor they were in. “Uh sorry. So we got the direction notes and choreo footage for you so you know what to do when Maddie is better,” Owen said as he handed over some papers to Charlie and held up an iPad.

“Thank you for doing that. It helps a lot.”

Owen shook his head. “It wasn’t a problem.”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah we wanted to. We miss you guys on set.”

Owen’s eyes got a far off look. “Yeah…”.

Charlie looked to the oldest of the four and pointed at Owen in confusion. “Boo Boo,” Jeremy explained simply.

“Ah,” Charlie and Madison replied in unison. He was sure Madison would ask what Owen did this time. It was her job as the mom of the band. Basically she made sure they didn’t say or do anything stupid. And it was a toss up on who was worse in that department, Owen or Charlie. At least that is what she said.

“I want to look it over,” Madison piped up.

Charlie looked over at her with concern. He didn’t want her pushing herself when she was still sick. “Mads you gotta rest and conserve your energy,” he insisted.

Madison rolled her eyes at his worrying. “It will help distract me from the pain. And besides I’ve been cooped up in this bed for hours.” Ghost barked from her thighs. “I think Ghost agrees with me.” The dog licked her hand in response.

Another eye roll. “Oh fine. If you insist.”

A beautiful smile graced Madison’s face. “I do.” With that, the band spent the next hour or so going through the notes and video.

Charlie was starting to reconsider careers because he was turning into a home health aide. He was just short of giving Madison a sponge bath in her bed as he wiped a cool face towel over her body. She complained that she felt warm. It was in contrast to her clammy cool body. But he wasn’t about to argue with her. So he did as she instructed without any words.

“That feels so much better,” she sighed.

Charlie’s lips quirked up. “That’s good. Now let’s see if you can hold down this ginger ale and soda crackers.”

Madison grimaced. It was only just that morning that she could keep the water from coming back up. Charlie understood her weariness. It was almost two full days since she had gotten sick. “I’ll try. Don’t be surprised if I vomit on you again.”

Charlie chuckled at her attitude. “Try to be positive, Mads. And if that does happen, so be it. As long as you feel better. That’s all that matters to me.”

Madison sighed. “Okay. Crack open the can.” Charlie picked up the can of Canada Dry that Ricardo had bought. He flipped the tab and sound of the ginger ale fizzled inside. He held it up to her mouth and gently tilted it so it passed her lips. She took a few sips before pushing his hand away. “I think that is all I can handle. Crackers.”

Ricardo had bought the big Goya brand ones that were two large rectangles connected in the middle. How he was able to find Goya in Vancouver, Canada he would never know. He grabbed the plate of them and snapped one off and held it up for her. She nibbled on it slowly. Charlie felt weirdly accomplished when she was able to finish half of it before stopping.

“You did really good, Mads. If you can keep this down maybe we can try buttered bread tomorrow.”

Madison gave him a small smile. “Thank you for taking care of me. You didn’t have to and you did. I really appreciate it.”

Charlie grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “You don’t have to thank me. I would never let you be like this alone. I’d do anything for you. You know that.” Ironically enough his words echoed his character’s from the season 1 finale. Charlie was rewarded with another of Madison’s dazzling smiles. He couldn’t resist smiling back.

He helped wrap her up along with Ghost fluffing her pillows. They wanted to make sure she was as comfortable as possible as she dozed off. Ghost even laid his head on the pillow and put a paw over her shoulder. It was so cute that Charlie had to take a photo of it. He contemplated posting the photo but he just kept it in his photo gallery instead. For some reason it felt too precious a moment to share.

Putting his phone away, he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and smiled when her hand tightened in his. He tucked the blanket underneath her chin. Without realizing it, he ran his fingers along the curves of her face. She looked so peaceful, especially given how horrible she had been feeling. His hand stilled from running along her cheek.

It hit him like a ton of bricks. His hand dropped away from her face. His heart was playing like Owen’s drums in his chest. His throat went dry. He had feelings for Madison. Strong feelings at that. He dropped his head on the edge of the bed. How had it taken him so long to realize it. It was staring him right in the face this entire time! He picked his head up to look at the young woman who was pulling his heart to her. What was he going to do!? Learning to parent Ghost on the fly was easier than this!?


	16. Little Time Stamps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a series of moments throughout the two weeks leading up to the band and cast going to the In the Heights premiere. Owen is yet again dealing with the evil of Ghost. And no one believes him, lol. Madison is now aware of her attraction to Charlie and that she feels something for him. The song that Madison is practicing is something I wrote for this fic. Lastly, Madison is in the company of her father and other responsible adults while drinking. She won't become an alcoholic or anything. That's it. Enjoy!

Three days. Madison had to live with being tortured with food poisoning for three days. Thanks to the fact that her and Charlie had been gone, things were behind. They were the two leads of the show after all. To help get things back on schedule, production had agreed to bend the rules a little so that Madison could get in extra hours so that her and Charlie could do their scenes along with the other ones that had been delayed.

As a part of getting the schedule back in order, Madison had to get there earlier with Charlie. That meant that they couldn’t walk Ghost like they usually did. So they had to get someone to do it for them. And they chose the dog sitter AKA Owen Patrick Joyner, Ghost’s most hated human. To say they might have been a little delirious from being cooped up in the same spot for days on end was an understatement.

“Are you sure you can handle walking him for us,” Madison asked. Charlie kept looking at his phone. The car to take them to set was due any minute.

“I think I can handle this mongrel for you,” Owen said confidently. Madison and Charlie looked at each other, knowing what the other was thinking. Owen was always overconfident at the worst of times. It was still joked about how he couldn’t throw a snowball to save his life. But Ghost wouldn’t do anything too bad, right?

“O-okay. If you’re sure. Remember to bring him to set when you are done.”

Owen saluted them. “Yes m’am Mrs. RG. The beast will be transported to you safe and sound.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “You are ridiculous. Come on Mads. We need to be outside. We don’t want the car waiting.”

Madison nodded. “Right.” She intertwined her fingers with Charlie and the two walked out of the apartment. As they walked out of the building, something occurred to Madison. “He said he’d bring Ghost to us safely but didn’t mention that when giving him a walk….”. Madison and Charlie stopped and looked at each other, their eyes wide.

“Maybe we should have left Ghost with Carolynn,” Charlie thought aloud.

Later Ghost was brought to them without nary a scratch on him. He was also very happy. Owen on the other hand…he was shaking and honestly looked like he had been thrown into a tornado. There were leaves, dirt, and _something_ on him. He also smelt like the street. The blond was a mixture of furious and traumatized. It was quite the feat honestly.

“Uh Owen, bud, why are you uh…yeah,” Charlie tried to ask, pointing at the mess that was his roommate. One of Owen’s favorite pink sweaters was stained a muddy brown on the front. “  
“Th-th-that demon dragged me through downtown Vancouver,” Owen sputtered out, pointing at Ghost. Said dog seemed to be smiling and had a gleeful look in his grey eyes. Madison would question it but that was Ghost’s normal look when it came to torturing Owen.

“Dragged you,” Charlie asked. He was just as confused by Owen’s wording as Madison was.

“YES,” Owen screamed. “He pulled on the leash and had me getting dragged on the street, literally!” Madison and Charlie just stared at him. Then they both burst into laughter. “Why are you laughing at me!? He’s a fucking menace! He almost gave me a concussion!”

Charlie shook his head as he stifled his laughter. “Ghost is only 15 pounds. He’s a small thing. There’s no possible way he could drag you. You’re like ten times his body weight.”

Owen’s eyes looked wild and his face a little pink. “I am telling you he did! He’s swindling you. He’s a demon dog!”

Ghost barked and spun around a circle, obviously happy at Owen losing it. Madison couldn’t resist picking him up and showering him with affection. “Look how cute you are,” she said in a baby voice to him. “Uncle Owen is being mean to you again, isn’t he? I know. You’d never drag him around.” She kissed his head and he licked her face.

Charlie watched them, completely taken by the sight of the two of them.

Owen grunted and stomped off, mumbling about finding someone who _would_ believe him. Madison rolled her eyes. Owen and his dramatics.

Madison considered herself lucky that she had the energy and vocal strength to do the show version of her and Charlie’s duet. They were dressed as their characters and were doing a dance inspired by classic Disney couples. Being held in Charlie’s arms as he twirled her around felt like a dream. She just felt so much closer to him after he dropped everything to take care of her.

Charlie’s voice had this rasp to it and a darkness that drew her in as he sang the lyrics to the song they had written for this part. Their eyes didn’t leave each other as he pulled her closer to him. She felt every touch with him on another level. Her fingers linked with his and the callouses on them were rough and so him. His chest was against hers. It was strong and built. His heart was beating in time with hers as they moved as one.

“Can you wish for more,” he sang, their lips so close she could taste his cologne on her tongue. She repeated the line, continuing their dance. They sang the lyrics together as they moved in large circles in the studio set.

“Wish for more,” she sang in her falsetto, her whole being becoming Julie. Charlie held her waist as they swayed together, the energy between them electric.

“Wish for more,” he crooned back to her. Their eyes were locked as they finished off the last steps of the dance, this exhilaration between them.

“Can you wish for more,” they sang in perfect unison.

“And we have our duet,” Kenny called out. His excited words did nothing to pull Madison and Charlie’s eyes from one another. Madison’s heart was pounding against her chest from the exertion of dancing and the intensity surrounding them. Charlie was looking down at her with these deep dark green eyes. She couldn’t decipher what his eyes meant but she knew she was enslaved to them.

“You two ready to eat,” Ricardo called out to them, ending the powerful hold Charlie had on her. His eyes lightened to a more light green and a soft smile was on his face. It was almost like he didn’t just have such a fire in his eyes.

Madison turned to her father, who was holding Ghost from dancing along with them during the scene. “I want pizza,” she yelled back.

Everything was on a time crunch for them all. That included the days leading up to the In the Heights premiere. Madison was excited for it but her nerves over her song were in the forefront. She had to nail this song in Spanish. She had already committed to it back in April when she accepted a spot to perform at the after party. Except she was having trouble nailing the flow of the lyrics.

“ _El sol se levanta en el este_ ,” she sang into the oversized mic, trying to get the first verse down. She stopped after the first line. “Ugh! I keep messing up where I need to stretch out the word,” she griped.

She was in the common area and going over the song now that it was translated from Spanish. She could get it no problem when in English but couldn’t help but stumble in Spanish.

“Mads, it’s okay. You know these words. We wrote them. Just take a breather. You know you can do this,” Charlie encouraged.

Madison sighed and looked over at Charlie who was watching her practice along with the rest of the boys and Carolynn. “What if I can’t. I have to get this recorded right away and then it has to get mixed.” The song was going to be made a single.

“You can do it, Maddie. Anything you put your mind to, you kill it, sis,” Owen said. Madison smiled. He was sure confident in her given the fact he was the one who was going to be playing the bongos for the recording.

“Go Mads go,” Booboo said, shaking a red and white pom pom.

“Where’d you get a pom pom from,” Madison asked at the sight of the random object.

“From the set of course. I uh borrowed them,” Booboo replied cheekily.

Madison’s brow raised. Her unspoken question was answered when Owen pulled out pink and white ones and Jeremy had the blue and white in hand. “Go Mads go,” Owen repeated after Booboo. Then suddenly they all had pom poms and had started dancing.

“You can do it! Go Mads, go,” they cheered together with Ghost dancing behind Charlie and barking in time with their cheers.

Madison smiled at the encouragement that her friends were willing to give in the most ridiculous ways. Owen had even turned himself into a flyer with Jeremy and Charlie as his support and doing a horrible cheer routine. Thankfully Booboo and Carolynn made up for the Phantom Cheer Trio with actual moves.

This positive energy was infectious. It motivated Madison to try the first line of the verse 1 again. She nailed the flow this time. “That’s it, Mads,” Charlie shouted. Ghost barked along with his father. Madison felt her lips pulled into a wide smile. She continued on with the rest of the verse. “ _Brillando sobre las palmeras/Llevar luz a todas las pequeñas islas/En el mar del Caribe_ ,” she sang with a sweetness and calm that she previously struggled to attain.

“YES,” Owen shouted, jumping up and down.

“That’s our girl,” Jeremy said, pointing at her with a pom pom.

“We knew you could do it Maddie,” Carolynn declared.

“You are going to blow everyone away at the after party,” Booboo said, completely sure of himself.

“He’s right, you will,” Charlie said after the others. He was smiling at her, his eyes soft. Madison smiled back at him, more sure of herself in that moment than the whole practice.

Reggaetón blasted through the apartment as Madison and Owen screamed the lyrics as they danced together, twisting their bodies in an attempt at partner dancing. The speakers were currently playing Bad Bunny’s “ _Yo Perreo Sola_ ”. Given the context of the song, they were having fun swinging their hips and dropping it low. Charlie laughed at their antics. He whistled at the two. “Get it!”

Booboo was between Tori and Savannah all in their element as they danced. Jeremy was sitting next to Charlie and tapping his foot along to the beat. There was no way he was going to make a fool of himself trying to keep up with the others.

“I think those two swiped the wine coolers,” Ricardo said to the two bandmates. He pointed to his daughter and Owen.

Charlie shook his head. “That explains why they are acting so wild.” To prove Charlie’s point, Owen got up on the coffee table and was really going all out. Normally Charlie would be just as crazy with them but he had to be sober to get Ghost ready for their flight to New York. And make sure his roommate and best friend got up at all.

“Go off, girl,” Madison cheered.

“Yaaas queen,” Tori and Savannah called out, snapping their fingers.

“Yeah Owen,” Booboo shouted.

Somehow the knocking at the door was heard and Jeremy answered it. In walked Taylor Kare. He had been filming with them for the past week and they had invited him to their party. “Wow. This is a lot more than I thought it was going to be when you guys invited me,” he said, seeing the rest of the cast. Sacha and Jadah were singing along to the song from Dirty Dancing. Owen was trying to get Charlie to do their lift with Jeremy. Everyone else was vibing comfortably.

Jeremy chuckled. “Yeah. We kind of went crazy like half an hour ago. You missed Owen’s coffee table show.”

Taylor’s lips quirked. Everyone knew how Owen could get when he was in the mood. “I hope someone filmed that. It must have been a riot.”

“I’m sure one of us did.” Their conversation was interrupted by Madison who came over to hug Taylor.

“You made it! Do you know how to dance? We want to have a White Chicks dance battle,” she rambled.

Charlie came up behind her and picked her up to set her down on the couch. “Come on Mads. Let Taylor through the door first, _mon petit chou_.” 

“But _cariño_ , I want to win,” she whined.

“Uh…is she okay,” Taylor asked.

Charlie waved off the concern. “She’s fine. Just a little tipsy. We’re pregaming for the premiere and I think she and Owen threw back a few too many drinks.” 

“A-alright,” Taylor said, a little taken aback by the nonchalance.

“So we have food over here and some beer if you want. Our bandmates over there swiped the last of the wine coolers,” Jeremy said.

Charlie followed them. “Need to switch out their drinks with water so they aren’t too bad tomorrow morning.” When Charlie went over to get the water bottles, he was met with a knocked out Ghost surrounded by alcohol. “Great…my dog’s drunk, too.”


	17. In the Heights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this chapter is where Madison and Charlie have their first official date. It ended up being longer than any other thing I have written, but I think it was worth it. We have the continuation of Owen's little dilemma as well as Madison and Owen freaking out at meeting one of their idols. Thanks to this being SO long, it has not been combed through for editing. Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The dress that Madison wears is based off of one from Sebastian Grey's S/S 2021 collection with some changes, obviously.  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CIEsEnPFtnC/
> 
> The dress that Megan wears is also from the same collection. It is the dress on the right with the black model.  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/CJrS5iCF3FA/
> 
> There is no Oscar de la Renta dress like the one I described. I just thought of it and figured it would work as a haute couture piece given to Madison for the event.
> 
> Charlie's suit is also not real but Daniel W. Fletcher is a respected menswear design from the UK (He appeared in Next in Fashion as one of the top two)
> 
> What Madison says in Spanish before she sings is: Hello, everyone. I am called Madison Reyes.
> 
> As I stated before, the song that Madison sings is one I wrote.   
> English lyrics:   
> Verse 1  
> The sun rises in the East  
> Shining over the palm trees  
> Bringing light to all the little islands   
> In the sea of the Caribbean 
> 
> Pre Chorus  
> Say hello to everyone you pass   
> Give a kiss to your loved ones  
> This is island life  
> Come join the family 
> 
> Chorus  
> From the mountains to the sea  
> We gather as one   
> Proud as we stand together  
> Against the big man out there  
> (For the one love that we share)
> 
> Verse 2  
> Walk the white sand to crystal clear water  
> And dance to the drums and guitar  
> Your body moves to the rhythm  
> Breathe in the air around you
> 
> Pre Chorus 2  
> 1, 2, 3 So many in our family  
> There is always someone there  
> Nothing is impossible   
> Just take one step
> 
> Chorus  
> From the mountains to the sea  
> We gather as one   
> Proud as we stand together  
> Against the big man out there  
> (For the one love that we share)
> 
> Bridge  
> They doubt us from their thrones  
> Little people we are not  
> Give them our fire   
> Like the heat of the islands
> 
> Chorus   
> From the mountains to the sea  
> We gather as one   
> Proud as we stand together  
> Against the big man out there  
> (For the one love that we share)

Madison’s hands shook as she smoothed her hands down the cotton/linen blend of the dress that Sebastian had customized for her. Sebastian and his assistant Viola had come to dress her for the premiere, which they were also attending. Hair and make up from the show had even come along to make sure they were all looking perfectly glam for the red carpet.

She looked herself over once more in the hotel room mirror. Her curly bun was just right and her make up had enough pop without being too much. She checked to make sure that there was no lipstick on her teeth. That would be bad. She stepped back to admire her full outfit. Objectively, she looked good. Subjectively, she hoped her date liked it since he hadn’t seen the dress beforehand. Madison took one last breath and picked up the _pequeña escarcela_ that matched her burnt orange dress. She was ready.

Madison stepped out of the hotel room to see most of the cast and her family there waiting for her. They all turned to her to see the outfit. “Wow…you look beautiful,” Charlie said before everyone else, in complete awe. Madison could see his eyes dilated and how he stood even straighter. Her face warmed at the obvious appreciation he had.

“You look wonderful, hon,” Ricardo said to his daughter.

“You are actual sunshine, _mija_ ,” Madison’s TV dad, Carlos said with his twin daughters Siena and Savanna on either side of him.

“It was such a good idea to keep us from seeing it until now. You look so good,” Owen complimented.

“Yeah, Maddie. You look bomb,” Jeremy said excitedly. Owen and Jeremy walked forward and hugged her on either side. And gave her kisses on each cheek.

“Hey, get off,” Charlie snapped at the two. “She’s my date!”

Owen and Jeremy smirked at their bandmate. Madison rolled her eyes as she saw them taunting Charlie. “Maybe we’ll just take her as our date. What do you say, Jer,” Owen joked and they hugged her again.

Charlie’s cheeks were getting red. “You already have dates,” Charlie growled as he tried to grab the taller musicians. They easily maneuvered out of his reach and weaved through the others. Charlie went to chase them down but Madison grabbed the bottom of his suit jacket.

“Cut it out all of you. You’ll ruin your suits,” she stated very plainly. Charlie stopped and fixed his suit jacket and pushed some hair back. Madison looked to Owen and Jeremy who were hiding behind Carlos. “Boys…Owen no games. Jeremy go to your wife.”

“Yes ma’am,” the two young men said quickly.

Carolynn took Jeremy’s hand with a smile. “Good to know I have someone else that can keep you in line.”

Madison shrugged, her drop earrings on one side rubbing against her shoulder. “It’s my job. Got to watch Ghost and Charlie as it is.”

“Hey,” Charlie said, offended at the same time Ghost barked indignantly. Ricardo was holding the normally feisty dog. Madison swore he was frowning at her. He was such a prideful dog. Took after his father that way.

“Okay, that’s enough. We need to get up with the others and take the car to the red carpet.”

“Right,” Owen said. He snapped his fingers. “Formation,” he called out.

Like a well oiled machine, the band got into their practiced line up. Charlie was on the far end on the right when you looked at them. Madison had his fingers intertwined with hers. She and Owen had their arms locked together. Jeremy was on the other end with Owen hanging his arm off Jeremy’s right shoulder.

Madison had wanted them to look like a complete unit so had thought of an established line up they could use. Owen had readily agreed as they enjoyed posing all the time. Charlie had agreed to it because Madison wanted it. Jeremy was the most agreeable as he didn’t have any issue with it. Of course being the stage dog that he was, Ghost jumped out of his grandfather’s arms and stood in front of his parents, his head held high.

Madison looked down at the dog. “Let’s do this.”

Kenny was a clever man for sure but even he was having trouble organizing the chaos that was the Phantoms. “Okay I need a headcount here. We need to separate into cars. The band and some of the families will be in one car. The others in the cast and so on and so forth. Understand?”

“We’re here, Kenny,” Madison called out to their director. The band was all huddled together trying to prepare for the insanity that was the In the Heights premiere. Kenny nodded and was counting the others in the group.

“I can’t believe this is happening. What if we get there and no one notices and we just look ridiculous? Or we mess up the formation? What if we have a wardrobe malfunction? What if-”.

“Calm down, O,” Madison said, grabbing Owen’s arm. “Everything’s going to be fine.”

Owen looked at her disbelievingly. “How do you know? This is the first time you’ll be walking.”

Madison shoved down the fear of that reality and put on a confident smirk. “Because Scott and Mitch will be there with the rest of Pentatonix. And you know they won’t let anything go wrong. Scott will make himself look like an idiot to make sure no one comes at us.”

It was only just that morning that she learned herself about seeing their friends again. Pentatonix was also going to be performing at the afterparty. And Kirstie being Latin herself was obviously going to show support for the Latin star studded cast.

“You couldn’t tell me that _before_ we got down here,” Owen whined.

Madison heard Charlie chuckling behind her. She slapped him in the stomach without taking her eyes off her blond friend. She heard him grunt from the hit. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Not sure how Boo will react though. I think he’s still traumatized from the vocal lesson two months ago.”

At the mention of their half Asian friend, Owen looked over to the long haired man. She saw his eyes go from relief to sadness. She looked over and saw Booboo with his arm around his long time girlfriend Valentina. Madison wished she could help Owen with his crush. Seeing the light dim in his blue green eyes was too much.

Madison could tell that Charlie knew what she was thinking about and frowned at Owen who was trying to make himself smaller. Ghost was like a homing beacon and knew that Owen was feeling down. In his characteristic fashion, he nipped the drummer’s hand. “Ow!” Owen looked down at his nemesis. “Mongrel,” he grumbled. Ghost barked at him and walked off to go to Madison’s family.

Madison smiled at the interaction. She looked back over to Booboo and Valentina. She could understand why Owen would be so upset. Valentina was a beautiful brunette woman who seemed so worldly and mature. Madison couldn’t really say much else about Booboo’s girlfriend as they had never spent much time together. The cast had all eaten together when Booboo was officially a part of the main cast, but Valentina didn’t hang out with them. Maybe it was because of the fact they were all younger or because of how chaotic they were together but Booboo didn’t seem to mind. He actually seemed to spend more time with them than his girlfriend.

As if he could sense her eyes on him, Booboo turned to her. “Hey Mads. Looking good, girl,” he complimented, flashing her his boyish smile.

“Thanks B. Not looking too bad yourself.” Booboo had on a blood red suit with an ink black dress shirt and tie.

He laughed. “I did my best. Now why do you have that little bag for,” he asked, pointing to the clutch she had.

“My phone, room key, some extra lipstick, and my brass knuckles are in here,” she replied with a smirk at the end.

Booboo smirked right back. “That’s my girl.” The two fist bumped. Valentina looked between the two, clear confusion on her face. Guess Valentina didn’t know the story. Although so much had happened that day that Booboo probably had trouble giving a cliff notes of it all.

“Is everyone ready to get driven to the red carpet,” Kenny called out with a clap of his hands, taking Madison out of her thoughts.

“HELL YEAH” the group shouted.

Madison was pretty sure she was going to puke inside the clutch that Sebastian had given her. She had just stepped out of the car with the help of some guy in a suit. There were _SO_ many people there. She had gotten some coaching on how to walk the carpet by Kenny and even Owen and Jeremy but this was a lot different when it was right in front of your face.

“Hey, relax. You got this, _mon petit chou_. You look like a red carpet darling. They are going to love you,” Charlie whispered into her ear and grabbed her hand. His soothing voice calmed down her nerves. He just had a knack for that.

The two of them were joined by their dog who stood with his head held high, Owen, Jeremy, Carolynn, Savannah, Booboo, Valentina, and Madison’s family. Having everyone there boosted Madison’s confidence. “We got your back, Maddie,” Savannah said as she wrapped her arm loosely through Owen. The spunky dancer had agreed to be Owen’s date for the premiere so he wasn’t left alone. Considering that Madison had Charlie and Jeremy obviously brought Carolynn as his date.

As Madison looked out to all the celebrities milling around with the media waiting on the edge of the carpet up to the theatre, she spotted a certain blond baritone. “Girly,” Scott shouted as he ran forward to hug Madison. He was careful to not wrinkle the top of her dress. He obviously knew not to with being Mitch’s boyfriend and all. The countertenor came up behind from Scott and brought Owen and Charlie into a hug.

“Oh I missed you kids,” Mitch said a little teary eyed.

Charlie and Owen laughed. “We’re happy to see you too Mitchy,” Charlie said to the slightly taller singer.

The two were in matching outfits with Scott in a suit looking like a sunrise and Mitch was in a more fitted and androgynous suit that resembled a sunset. They looked perfect together. “We were so happy when we learned y’all would be here and that Madison is singing too. I can’t wait to hear what you sing,” Mitch said.

Madison smiled, trying to hide the nerves. “Yeah we were shocked and freaking out. Can’t believe I am actually one of the ones listed to perform.”

“Oh my god! You even dressed Ghost,” Scott exclaimed as he looked own at Ghost who had been listening to his parents talking. The dog barked at the compliment and showed off his Puerto Rico flag vest jacket.

“He is so cute,” Mitch gushed and bent down to rub Ghost’s head. The dog closed his eyes at the sensation.

“Yeah…real cute,” Owen muttered, glaring at Ghost.

Jeremy shook his head. “Dude.”

Owen turned his eyes on Jeremy. “I’m telling you he did it. Why does no one believe me!?”

Thankfully everyone was saved from Owen ranting about Ghost when two other people came up to them. “There you two are! Esther and Jonathan were worried we lost you,” the duo’s bandmate and childhood friend, Kirstin Maldonado said. She was accompanied by her boyfriend Ben “Hausdo” Hausdorff. Kirstin’s attention was taken away from her bandmates when she spotted Madison and the rest of the band. “Oh my god! The Julie and the Phantoms cast!” She surged forward and grabbed Madison into a tight hug. “It’s so nice to meet you all.” She stepped back and fixed Madison’s dress. “Wow you are more beautiful in person. If you were five years older, I’d take you out.”

A bright red blush bloomed on Madison’s face at the…compliment. Was this some sort of karma for the vocal lesson when the boys got hit on? She felt Charlie pull her closer to him, his hand tight on her waist. “Thanks. Do all of you like to be so flirty,” Charlie asked. It was supposed to come off nonchalant but Madison could hear the undercurrent of annoyance in his voice. Maybe she was the only one who could pick up on it.

Kirstin laughed. “Sorry. Scott and Mitch have gushed about all of you since they started working on the song for the show. And I was enamored with Madison’s passion and determination in the show.” She gestured back to her videographer boyfriend. “Ben loved your fire. You’re a natural on stage with that guitar.” Kirstin leaned a little forward to look at Charlie. “Ooh. Your eyes are this really dark blue.”

Charlie pulled back a little and blinked. Madison saw his eyes lighten. She noticed that his eyes tended to be darker when he was upset or really emotional and lighter when he was happy or excited. “Uh…thank you.”

“Of course. Come on. We need to get back to Kevin and Matt. Photos await us. See y’all in there,” Kirstin said and grabbed her boyfriend’s hand, walking back into the mass of people.

Scott sighed. “She’s right. Mama Bear Esther will kill us if we don’t get back. We definitely need to get some photos on the carpet.”

Mitch smiled. “Yeah. We love you.” Scott and Mitch hugged as many of the group as possible before following after Kirstin.

Having the original Trio of Pentatonix there completely relaxed Madison from all the craziness. She looked at her bandmates. “You ready to do this?” The boys nodded.

The band had gone into formation perfectly and gotten some great shots from all the flashing cameras. Madison was used to the bright lights from being on stage so it wasn’t as jarring as she expected. The constant yelling for her attention to turn a certain way was a tad frustrating though. “It’s like they are competing to see who is loudest,” Madison muttered close to Charlie so no one could see. Charlie cracked a smile at the comment, giving photographers a good photo to put on Getty Images later.

“I think they just want attention for their outlet. It looks like the others are doing couple shots.” Madison looked to see that Owen was standing with Savannah in his pink ombre suit. It went from a blush pink at the top to a rose pink at the bottom of the jacket and then reverse on the pants. Savannah matched him with a nice pink number with a sort of leaf design to the bottom half of the dress. Jeremy was in a very classic rock inspired suit that was faux leather in a glossy royal blue. Carolynn was in a similarly colored dress at his side.

Madison and Charlie posed for some photos by themselves. Madison could feel Charlie’s hand on her hip not too far from the curve of her rear. She could feel the way he squeezed her lightly to let her know he was there with her. It was empowering in a way. To be held like a woman and not a child. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you with everyone around but you look sexy,” he whispered into her ear. She felt her body shiver at the words and his hot breath hitting her skin.

His compliment emboldened her to look up at him. His eyes were dark again as he matched her intensity. She could feel his heartbeat under her hand on his chest. It was in time with hers. She was so distracted by his eyes and the cameras that she missed his smirk. The next thing she knew she was smiling like crazy as he kissed her temple, her arms wrapped around him. Charlie’s surprise kiss had her giddy and she couldn’t help laughing from happiness. Charlie beamed at her and they found themselves holding hands just enjoying the moment.

“Let’s get a few with Ghost,” Madison said.

Charlie whistled over towards Madison’s family. Ghost trotted over from Megan’s side, already set to show off on camera. Madison giggled. “Little charmer,” Charlie said as he pointed where Ghost should sit. The dog took his spot and then they bent down closer to his level for a few family photos. Ghost even made sure to pose to the side to show off the Puerto Rican flag. It got all the press aww’ing at the cheekiness from the small dog.

After taking photos with Ghost, they needed a break from the constant posing and shouts to turn every which way. They were gestured over by a reporter from E! The woman smiled at the two of them as the cameraman got the three in one shot. “Alexia Vasquez reporting on the red carpet for the In the Heights premiere. I’m here with the leading lady and man from the Netflix series and real life band Julie and the Phantoms, Madison Reyes and Charlie Gillespie.” Madison was impressed that the woman gotten his last name correct. For some reason, people tended to mess it up often.

“So this is your first red carpet correct Madison,” Alexia asked the young woman. Madison nodded, a little nervous. Charlie grabbed her hand, the other holding her clutch.

“Uh yeah. It’s surreal. I never thought I’d be doing this only a year after getting a TV role. I am kind of in shock.” She giggled nervously. Charlie squeezed her hand and rubbed his thumb over the pack of her fingers.

“Well you look like a pro up there. And you both look wonderful in your outfits. Who are you wearing, may I ask?” Madison was so happy that she had such a nice and relaxed interviewer. She was afraid she’d get a pushy or dismissive one.

Madison looked down at her dress realizing she probably did stand out against all the other dresses on the red carpet. “I am wearing a custom Sebastian Grey dress. We really wanted something bright that symbolized the summer and the vibrancy of Latin culture.”

Alexia nodded with a smile. “And you, Charlie?”

“I just put on what she tells me to,” he joked, pointing at Madison. “But, I am wearing a custom Daniel W. Fletcher suit.”

Alexia moved her hand up and down in front of Charlie. “This is a great suit. The ombre effect with the piping on the suit is gorgeous. Going from a cream orange to that deep rouge. Expert work. It contrasts well with the off white of the rest of the suit.”

“Thanks. I love the fact it isn’t the usual kind of suit.”

“Now based on your matching outfits, can I assume you’re each other’s dates for the night?”

Madison nodded, a wide smile on her face. “Yes we are.”

Charlie’s face was a little pink as he spoke. “When she asked me, I knew I couldn’t say no.”

Madison squeezed his hand back. She rested her head on his shoulder, her golden sun drop earrings falling to the side, one brushing against her neck. He kissed her head without a second thought.

“You two are so adorable. I hope the rest of the night is wonderful for you, Madison. I can’t wait to interview you for your own movie in the future.”

Madison righted herself and smiled at Alexia. “Thank you. I hope so, too. Don’t know how I’ll survive when that happens.”

Charlie scoffed. “You’ll crush it. You always kill it, Mads.”

Madison and Charlie did a few more interviews before getting back to the photos. They took some photos with the whole cast, with all the boys being extra and kneeling and praising her in one photo. She wasn’t sure which one of them thought of the idea but it was funny seeing them be so cheesy. She didn’t forget to make sure to get her family together. It was a dream to get to be with them on a red carpet for such a big movie.

Sebastian had even been a sweetheart and gifted Megan with another outfit from his spring/summer collection. It was a white sort of shirt dress with black rope designed throughout the fabric. The dress went down to her feet and her waist was cinched by a white chain link leather skirt over top that had a belt.

Of course Madison couldn’t leave the red carpet without getting photos with her favorite acapella babes. She, Charlie, Owen, and Booboo got some photos with Scott and Mitch first and then her and Kirstin had a Latina moment. Charlie and Ben had taken their own photos of them. She was sure she was going to see fanart from Fantoms by the morning. The last photo was both bands. It was funny as Madison and her boys flashed rock and roll signs with their tongues out and Pentatonix were the picture of family friendly.

Everyone had made it down the red carpet and now it was the most important moment. Madison and Owen were about to meet the man, the myth, the legend. The one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda. “Oh my god, I can’t believe we actually get to meet him. Do I look okay? My suit isn’t crooked, right?”

Madison giggled at Owen’s rambling. “You’re fine Owen. You look great. What about me? My dress is fine? Like the top part isn’t slipping or anything?”

“Trust me I would have told you if it was,” Charlie said from her left with a smirk on his face.

Madison blushed, knowing what he was implying. “Charlie,” she shrieked and smacked his chest. Charlie just gave her that stupid smirk again with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that were a light greenish blue.

Owen brought her back to the conversation. “You look perfect, sis. Real Hollywood starlet vibes. Now what do we do when we meet him? I mean…you know since he has you singing that he will likely want you in a future project.”

Madison shook her head at the idea. “No way O. I am nowhere near on his radar. He was just looking for some Latin singers for the afterparty. I mean Isabela is on the lineup.”

Owen nodded. Isabela Merced was a long time friend of his from when he first started out. She was a great singer and proud of her Peruvian roots. She wasn’t particularly big yet as a singer, though. “I get that, but you’re _you_. Madison Reyes lead singer of a rock band. Got the lead in a big budget TV show with your first audition. Girl, he’d be crazy not to want you in something.” Ghost barked next to Owen. He was being a proper dog and trotting instead of his usual quick walk. “Even the beast agrees with me.” Ghost nipped at his heel for the comment. “Oh shit.”

Jeremy was quick to keep the blond from falling. “Might want to refrain from pissing him off until after we are done with the night,” Jeremy cautioned.

Madison held back a laugh as Owen glared down at Ghost. Ghost ignored him though and kept trotting along. “That’s our little monster,” Charlie said, proudly.

“Yeah…monster,” Owen mumbled.

“Dude, he’s right there,” Jeremy exclaimed slapping Owen’s shoulder. He and Charlie weren’t into musical theatre like Madison and Owen, but even he knew the greatness that was Lin.

Madison and Owen stiffened at the sight of the famed musical theatre genius. “Maybe we can bypass him. I mean…it’s not like he’ll know who we are,” Madison thought aloud.

Owen nodded beside her. “Yeah. We’re nobodies. We can sneak on by.” His voice was shaking. That meant his anxiety was raging.

“Uh I don’t think that’s possible. He’s greeting everyone before they go in,” Charlie said matter of factly.   
Madison was pretty sure her heart stopped. She couldn’t move her feet forward. “I don’t think I can do this.”

Charlie grabbed her hand, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. “Yes you can. He’s going to love you, _mon petit chou_. Just think of him as Kenny. Both sweet as can be.”

Madison looked to Charlie to see him with those eyes. The ones he gave her. They were now a sort of grey. A shaky breath exhaled from her mouth at the sight. The things those changing eyes did to her.

“Lucky you,” Owen grumbled. “I think I am going to puke.” As if Owen’s anxiety summoned him, Booboo came up behind them.

“You guys have been standing here for a while.” He saw Owen’s body shaking. “Hey, you okay Owen?” Madison squeezed Charlie’s hand tightly. She was sure her nails were going to leave marks. Booboo was right behind Owen and had wrapped his arm around his neck. Owen was fighting not to blush. Madison, Charlie, Jeremy, and Carolynn watched with baited breaths.

“Y-yeah,” Owen squeaked out. “T-t-totally fine.”

Booboo was looking at him curiously. “You sure? You seem a little uh stiff. I know you’ve been nervous to meet the guy who made this. You are going to do great. And he’s going to be even more amazed when he hears your insane skills on the bongos when Maddie sings.”

Madison could see Owen’s body relax. He also was kind of giving Booboo eyes. Thankfully Jeremy elbowed him in the ribs to stop him before Booboo noticed. “Thanks B. I needed that.” Owen was still trying not to give him a dopey smile. Madison would be teasing him if Booboo wasn’t right there.

Booboo pulled his arm from around Owen’s neck and patted his shoulder. “Glad I could help. Now go over there and wow that man.” With that, the 27 year old walked back to the others.

The band and Carolynn watched Owen to see if he was going to combust. “Owen…buddy,” Charlie called to the blond.

Owen was swooning. “He was so close. I could feel his breath on my neck. And he smelled so good. Mmm…”.

Charlie rolled his eyes. “Yeah he’s fine. Jer, Mads, grab his arms. He’s too busy on cloud nine to remember where we are.” Madison and Jeremy linked their arms with Owen’s to get him to keep moving. Ghost’s approach was to grab his pants leg with his mouth.

“No baby. That is designer. Don’t tear it,” Madison chastised the Jack Russell Terrier. Ghost looked at her defiantly and then hit Owen’s shin.

“OW! What was that,” Owen cried out, almost buckling from the hit. He spotted Ghost with his eyes on him. “Why you little mongrel!” That was one way to snap Owen out of dreamland.

Stepping up to _the_ Lin-Manuel Miranda was like out of a dream. He smiled and offered his hand to shake. “The Julie and the Phantoms band, it is so nice to finally meet all of you kids.” He knew who they were! “I can’t wait to hear the song you prepared for later,” he said warmly as he shook Madison’s hand and gave her a kiss on each cheek.

“Um…of course. It’s a true honor to meet you Mr. Miranda. You are an inspiration, truly,” Madison gushed.

Lin laughed sweetly at the praise. “I should be saying that to you. So many Latin kids have a role model in you. My sons love listening to your songs from the show. And please call me Lin.”

Madison couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on her face. Lin’s sons liked their show, liked their _music_! “You are so welcome Mr-. Lin. That means a lot coming from you.”

Being the gracious person he was, Lin then moved to shake Charlie’s hand and gave him a hug. “My oldest Sebastian wants to play the guitar now after watching you and Jeremy. Any chance I can beg for you to give him lessons?” The composer had an easy smile on his face and his eyes just shined with goodness.

Charlie and Jeremy laughed. “Thank you. And I’d gladly give him some lessons. I am guessing he wants to play the electric, right?”

Lin nodded with another laugh. “Yes. We told him it’s better to start on acoustic though. I think he’d listen to you and your band over his old man.”

Charlie laughed at the truth of the statement. Madison knew that Charlie had only continued with the guitar at first because he wanted to perform like his brothers. Now he loved his guitar and brought it everywhere. It was a source of comfort for him. “I’m sure. We can set something up during the afterparty.” Madison envied the ease with which Charlie was able to speak to the man. Since he wasn’t familiar with the man like her or Owen, he wasn’t trying not to piss himself. 

Speaking of their drummer, Lin had greeted him and Owen was looking starstruck. “And here is the man who keeps the beat. You are great on the kit. My wife and mother in law are extremely excited to meet you. My mother in law doesn’t meet many German speakers.”

Owen nodded, a little breathless. “Uh yes. Thank you so much. I am huge fan of your work. And I would be glad to meet Vanessa and her mom. I’m sorry is that too familiar?”

Madison rubbed his back to calm him. His anxiety was acting up. Being the ball of sunshine that he was, Lin didn’t get put off by Owen’s nerves. “No. You are fine. It is nice for me when I see people who don’t “fit” the demographic of my musicals.”

Being the Broadway aficionado he was, Owen replied, “There's a kid in the middle of nowhere sitting there, living for Tony performances singin' and flippin' along with the Pippins and Wickeds and Kinkys,Matildas and Mormonses. So we might reassure that kid and do something to spur that kid. Cause I promise you all of us up here tonight. We were that kid…”.

Madison was gobsmacked. He had copied Neil Patrick’s speed from the 2014 opening number to a T. When he could memorize lyrics from Broadway shows but couldn’t remember Christmas lyrics. The irony was real.

Owen’s impromptu singing had Lin beaming. “Thank you for the shout out. If that was any indication, I can’t wait to hear you on the next season’s album.” Owen was over the moon at the compliment.

Jeremy was calm and relaxed as it seemed almost like he and Lin already knew each other. “My family demanded that I ask when your next voice over role is. We have exhausted Adventure Time in our house.”

“Well I have done a couple things but they won’t be out for a while, you know. I have some scenes in the upcoming season of Julie and the Phantoms that I’m sure everyone will like.” Madison knew he was referring to the scenes where Reggie fakes a Swedish accent to throw off Ray. It was one of the funniest parts of the new season.

“We’ll be looking out for it when the new season comes out. Okay, so I have met all of you wonderful people but there’s still someone missing. Where’s this Ghost I’ve heard so much about,” Lin said exaggeratedly. Ghost barked at hearing his name. Lin looked down to the dog who was wagging his tail. Seeing that he had the man’s attention, Ghost started showing off his outfit. “That’s precious. He has the flag on his little vest.”

Madison and Charlie laughed at their dog. “Yeah. We couldn’t walk the carpet without dressing him up to match,” Madison said proudly.

Ghost was posing like the stage dog he was. “He is very expressive. Quite clever too,” Lin commented. “Now I know you wanted to bring him inside with you but are you sure he can sit still and not make noise during the movie?”

Charlie smirked. “Oh no. He’s totally fine. He watches telenovelas with us regularly. We’re pretty sure he can even follow the plots. He’s smart like that,” Charlie bragged about their boy.

“And you are absolutely sure,” Lin asked.

“Absolutely,” the band and Carolynn replied in unison.

Charlie and the boys were all at the front of the stage waiting for their girl. Madison was the first one up on the line up. Normally he and the others would be freaking out about being around so many A listers but Madison was the star. He was not going to miss her first live solo performance.

He saw Pentatonix sidle up to the end of the front of the stage. “I am so excited to hear her,” Mitch said with a giggle. “She sounded incredible in the clip that Owen sent to us.”

Charlie arched his brow at his best friend. “Mitch and I talk often. Figured he might have some tips if anything was off.” Charlie nodded. Mitch was the better option out of Scott and Mitch for that. Either him or Pentatonix’s arranger, Ben Bram.

“She’s going to blow everyone away,” Booboo said with a huge smile on his face. “Between the song you two wrote and the instrumentation you, Owen, Jeremy, and the others did…”. Booboo sounded like he was trying to not cry. He was just as essential in the process by helping them all meditate to stay calm and replenish Madison with tea whenever she needed it. There was no way they would have gotten here if it wasn’t for his support.

Ghost was jumping up and down next to him. “You’re excited to see Mommy too, huh?” Ghost barked and rubbed his head against Charlie’s head. Charlie rubbed his head. “So am I. She’s going to be out any minute.”

“I know she’s supposed to change for the performance. You know what she’s coming out in,” Owen asked.

Charlie shrugged. “All I know it is an Oscar de la Renta gown. Don’t know what it is supposed to look like.”

All conversations in the large room were silenced as the lights went down everywhere except the stage. A woman stepped out in a nice pantsuit of a mint shade. She walked up to the mic. “Good evening everyone. We are all here to celebrate the release of In the Heights. To celebrate the vast cultures and backgrounds of Hispanics everywhere, we have set up a concert made up various Latin American artists. To start off the line up is Madison Reyes, a Puerto Rican singer and actress from The Bronx.” Hearing her name, Charlie and the others cheered and whistled. Owen even gave an exaggerated wolf whistle. The woman smiled at the enthusiasm. “Thank you. And here is Madison Reyes.” The woman stepped from the mic and off the stage.

Charlie was pretty sure his heart died because he had to be in heaven. Madison walked onto the stage in a red high low gown. The red looked like rose petals with black on the bottom hem. It had a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her chest and a fitted torso with the bottom of the dress flaring out and the back of it flowing near the ground. Her make up and jewelry had also been changed. Her makeup was more dramatic with bold red lips. Her gold sun drop earrings were exchanged for ruby studs. She also had one black bracelet on her right wrist and black kitten heels.

Charlie’s throat was dry as he saw her thighs as she moved so fluidly in the dress. He should have grabbed a drink because he might not make it the whole performance. He stared at her as she walked up to the mic. He would not mind worshipping her in the least. She was that ethereal.

“ _Hola, todos al mundo_. _Me llamo Madison Reyes_. I will be singing a song that I wrote with my best friend called “Island Pride”. _Gracias_.” Madison took a deep breath as the music started to play. His guitar was the first thing to come in. She opened her eyes as looked down at all of them. Charlie smiled at her and held up his thumb with his phone ready to record in the other hand. Her lips twitched into a barely there smile and she nodded.

El sol se levanta en el este

Brillando sobre las palmeras

Llevar luz a todas las pequeñas islas

En el mar del Caribe

Saluda a todos los que pases

Dale un beso a tus seres queridos

Esta es la vida en la isla

Ven a unirte a la familia

Madison was sucking everyone into her orbit with her velvety voice and charming lyrics. She had started the song off nice and slow. Then as the pre chorus came in Owen’s bongo playing mixed with his guitar. Jeremy’s bass had slipped in giving more depth to the song. Charlie already knew that the partygoers were hanging on her every word. Just as they should.

De las montañas al mar

Nos reunimos como uno

Orgulloso mientras estamos juntos

Aprofunos el gran hombre por ahí

(Para el único amor que compartimos)

With the chorus, Madison had fallen into a groove. Her body swayed from side to side as she held the mic on the stand. Charlie had never seen her shine so bright before. Her face glowed with happiness and pride. She was pouring her love for her people and home into her singing.

Caminar por la arena blanca a agua cristalina

Y bailar a la batería y la guitarra

Su cuerpo se mueve al ritmo

Respirar en el aire que te rodea

1, 2, 3 Muchos en nuestra familia

Siempre hay alguien allí

No es imposible

Só dar un paso

De las montañas al mar

Nos reunimos como uno

Orgulloso mientras estamos juntos

Aprofunos el gran hombre por ahí

(Para el único amor que compartimos)

As the song went on, Madison’s voice resonated even more despite the fact she wasn’t belting or getting deeper in her chest voice. The skill with which she sang was astounding. He had composed and written it with her but seeing her perform was something else. She was moving around the stage, her dress catching the stage lights just right. She was the flower of passion in human form and Charlie wished he could hold her in his hands.

Dudan de nosotros desde sus tronos

Gente poco que no somos

Penive ellos nuestro fuego

Como el calor de las islas

The song had been building up to the bridge, which was powerful and clear with all the instruments including the _güiro_ coming together. Madison’s voice was direct and full of strength with a tinge of rage. She balanced her emotions so well as she espoused the unity and dedication that her people had. Charlie was moved to tears as he looked into her eyes. She was a true wrecking ball.

De las montañas al mar

Nos reunimos como uno

Orgulloso mientras estamos juntos

Aprofunos el gran hombre por ahí

(Para el único amor que compartimos)

In expert fashion, Madison slowly reined the song back to its soft beginning and ended sweetly. The room was deadly silent for a few seconds before it burst with raucous applause for Madison. The young woman was blushing at all the applause. She deserved it all. Charlie’s hands hurt from how hard he was clapping. Ghost was jumping and barking, his ears flapping every time. “THAT’S MY GIRL,” Charlie shouted. Owen wolf whistled again and it sounded like Mitch was going for some sort of high pitched war cry.

Madison walked to the steps leading off the stage. Charlie rushed past her family so he could be the one to help her down. He held out his hand with one hand behind his back in a proper gentlemanly manner. Madison giggled as she took his hand. He guided her down, his eyes never leaving her enchanting brown eyes. “You were perfect,” he whispered so only she could. A cute dusting of pink appeared on her cheeks. Charlie smiled at being able to achieve that.

“Thank you,” she whispered back. Once she was on the same level as Charlie, she was immediately bombarded with her family and all their friends wanting to congratulate her. Charlie stepped back so he wasn’t crushed by all the people crowding around Madison.

It all felt like a dream as Madison danced in her father’s arms. She had been praised by everyone once she got off the stage. It was still so strange that people actually liked her voice so much. And she had met so many actually famous people. She got to hug Jennifer Lopez!

“You okay Mads, you look a little dazed,” Ricardo said as they danced.

Madison nodded. “Y-yeah. I am just a little in shock. I can’t believe this is happening. We are really here. People actually know who I am and loved what I did.”

Ricardo smiled at his daughter. “You worked your ass off to get here. I know it’s a little scary. But know you did it shorty. Soon everyone will be a fan of you. Your mom and I knew it was bound to happen. Now I think I better give you back to Charlie. Boy looks like someone smashed his PRS.”

Madison smiled at Ricardo’s words and then rolled her eyes at his exaggeration. “I don’t think he’s that grumpy, Dad.”

Ricardo’s lips twitched to not laugh. “Really,” he asked as he nodded over to said guitarist. Madison looked over to see Charlie standing by one of the food tables with his arms crossed and a defeated look on his face. He would periodically feed Ghost a bit of food and continue with his moping.

Madison groaned. “He is such a child. Sorry Papi. You’ll have to dance with Mama now.”

Ricardo chuckled. “What a tragedy. Go get that boy so he can stop looking so sad.”

Madison and Ricardo separated from their hold and Madison walked up to Charlie. When Charlie saw she was coming towards him, his eyes brightened and she swore his ears even perked up just like Ghost’s tended to do. Ghost barked and wagged his tail seeing her. “What are my two boys doing over here all alone, huh?”

Charlie grimaced. “I didn’t want to intrude on the others. Besides Ghost needed to be watched after.”

Madison didn’t believe him. “So no one came up to you to dance or talk at all?”

Charlie’s eyes flitted away. Ha! “Some girls did come up but I told them no. There’s only one girl I want to dance with,” he said, staring into her eyes. Madison was pretty sure her body temperature just skyrocketed. When he was smooth he was _smooth_.

“Okay,” she breathed out. Charlie took her hand in his, a small smile on his face.

“Ghost go to Títí Megan,” Charlie instructed. Ghost barked and stuck his nose to the ground to sniff out his mother’s younger sister. Madison giggled at their boy’s extraness. He really was theirs. “May I have this dance, _mon petit chou_ ,” Charlie asked with a small bow.

Madison smiled, her eyes sparkling. “You may, _cariño_.” Madison almost gasped at the charming smile Charlie flashed her as he stood up straight and walked her over to where everyone was dancing.

They fell into a dance hold like second nature. Charlie pulled her closer by the waist. “So how is the queen of the night doing?”

Madison rolled her eyes at his cheesiness. “Great. Trying to take it all in but I really am glad that the song went over well. Thank you so much for writing it with me.”

Charlie shook his head. “You know I love writing with you. It was an honor to help you represent your culture.”

Madisons looked up at him through her lashes. “I can’t wait to do something for yours.”

Charlie’s eyes softened. “I’d love that. National Acadian Day is the 15th of August.” Madison noticed how his brain seemed to switch with the way he worded the date. She loved it when his French came out. He was even more himself and it was alluring.

The two danced through what must have been the next three singers of the line up. Madison really wasn’t paying attention as she was more focused on the man in front of her. He spun her around and all she could see was the way his eyes switched colors so fast from the change in his position. She could probably spend every day studying them and still wouldn’t be able to capture every little change in his beautiful eyes.

When she was back in her original spot, Madison noticed her sister Megan dancing with Ghost and her costar Sonny. She forgot that they were the same age. It was nice to think of her sister having someone she could relate to in the cast since the rest of them were about her age or older. The two 13 year olds were doing some sort of Latin inspired dance with the little dog but she couldn’t figure out what.

“What’cha laughing about Mads,” Charlie asked. She didn’t even realize she was doing it. Madison looked up at him and pointed over to their boy.

“I think our boy is getting dance lessons from his títí and tío.”

Charlie looked over his shoulder his shoulder to see the three. “Aww. I think Megan likes having a furry pet she can actually play with.”

Madison slapped his shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Charlie didn’t even have the decency to act like he was ashamed of what he said. “Reggie is in a hamster cage most of the day. Not conducive to cuddling if you ask me.”

Madison’s eyes narrowed. She hit him again. “Jerk.”

Charlie simply contained his smirk with mirth in his eyes.

Madison and Charlie stopped their dancing at hearing that the last performers were going up. It was Pentatonix. They were going to be doing a medley of Latin hits over the years. The acapella band were the masters of the vocal remix and considered the best in their field. Missing their performance was out of the question.

The two of them rushed to make it to the front of the stage. If they elbowed a few people out of the way to get there, it was nobody’s business. Thankfully the rest of the Phantom gang was also there. Madison even saw Lin down someways with his wife at his side. It was no secret that Lin was a big fan of Pentatonix so it made sense they would be the last of the line up. End it with a bang, right.

Pentatonix started off with a Latin hymn, which was expected. They were approaching it similar to their Evolution of Music video. They quickly moved to songs from the 20th century. Scott took the lead on their bit singing Ricky Valens’ song “La Bamba” as he did in the Evolution of Music video. As they moved closer to the present day, Madison stood in astonishment at the sheer talent. She had obviously heard them before but never the whole band live.

Each member was so skilled in their part to elevate the medley to the best it could be. Between the harmonies of Mitch and Kirstin, Scott’s soulful runs, Matt’s thumping bass, and a whole band coming out of Kevin’s mouth, Madison was so floored that they thought she was even comparable to them. “I swear they aren’t human,” Charlie said under his breath. Almost like he was afraid of being judged.

“Woo,” Booboo called out as Mitch jumped from his lower register into a clean falsetto without even a flinch. “His voice is so high, my ears are ringing.”

“Oh thank God. I thought I was losing my hearing,” Owen said as he put his finger in his ear as if to clean it out. For his comment, Charlie slapped him while still watching Pentatonix. “Ow!” It seemed Owen in pain summoned Ghost who was smiling at him. “Devil dog,” he grumbled.

Kirstin took center stage and “Amor Prohibido” was in full force. Madison screamed and started singing the lyrics. She already knew the Phantom gang was staring at her. She didn’t care. She loved La Reina. It transitioned from the beloved Mexican American singer to Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca”. Madison leaned over to Charlie. “Does this one count?”

Charlie shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean there were no rules all the songs had to be in Spanish.” Madison gave a deadpan look to him. The possibility of her doing her song in English went through her mind. “I know. I know. Focus back on the medley.” Madison cursed to herself before doing as he said.

Scott then took over as the main singer as they went into “Suavemente” by Elvis Crespo. The song was like a drug and Madison was twisting her hips as she danced salsa in her spot. Her dad was mouthing the words and clapping his hands. Charlie and the others joined along. Owen was playing the beat on his chest and thighs. Carlos was dancing with his daughters who were adorable as they circled their father.

After another two minutes of songs including Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie”, “Rompe” by Daddy Yankee, “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi, and even “Carnaval del Barrio” from In the Heights, the medley was over. The band bowed after the deafening applause. It was so loud that Madison was sure she couldn’t even hear her own thoughts. Madison could tell that they were trying to catch their breaths after the fast-paced medley they just crushed.

“Can I be them when I grow up,” Owen asked.

“Same,” Savannah commented.

“I thought I could sing before this, I was wrong,” Madison heard Anthony Ramos’ wife, Jasmine Cephas-Jones said.

Lin laughed. “That was so exhilarating!” He clapped happily. It was like he was just pure sunshine at all times.

It took a while for Madison and the band to get a chance to speak to Pentatonix. Everyone had swarmed them as they came off the stage to praise them and ask for their own private concerts. It was only broken up by Scott “politely” telling partygoers to back off because Mitch looked like was going to have a panic attack. Madison felt bad for him. He managed his anxiety well but all those people trying to get a piece of them had to scare the crap out of the countertenor.

When they did get to them, Charlie was the first to speak. “THAT WAS CRAZY!!! I could never do what you guys did up there! Kevin those trumpet noises were insane, dude! Mitch your vocal range is crazy huge! Kirstin those harmonies were so good! Scott can I borrow that soulful voice! You were so expressive as you did all those bass notes, Matt!”

Madison put her hand on his back. “I think they get it, _cariño_. Calm down.”

Pentatonix laughed at Charlie’s enthusiasm. “He has enough energy for ten Pentaholics,” Kevin joked.

Madison brought her hand down and wrapped it around Charlie’s waist and leaned a bit against him. “He just loves music. And you guys really did go nuts.”

“Yeah you did,” Owen complimented. “How you went from one song to the next without a problem…and even the ones in rock…God, it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen someone do with their mouths.”

Madison saw the moment when Mitch clamped his mouth shut. He was obviously thinking of something dirty just as her mind went to with Owen’s badly worded compliment. “Thank you. But we can’t do rock like y’all,” Kirstin said.

“We definitely have to do something together some time,” Jeremy said. “You and Mads would sound so good together.”

“You know it,” Kirstin replied, properly smug about her singing.

The rest of the night’s music was conducted by a DJ. The song selection was diverse but not too loud to drown out conversation in the large room. Everyone spent most of the time just dancing together. Madison and Owen had another moment of fun, this time without any alcohol. No one wanted her too tipsy and it end up in the tabloids. Even without the alcohol, Charlie kept the energy up as they rocked out.

Somehow Charlie, Owen, and Jeremy were able to do a three-way dance together. Owen loved being the middle dancer so he could be supported by the other two. Madison made an Instagram story of the moment. The Fantoms deserved to see the three in action. She snorted as they set up for their infamous routine, the Dirty Dancing lift. Charlie and Jeremy got in position, ready to pick Owen up. Owen had gone back like two feet to get a good head start for his jump. Surprisingly, it did not end in Owen toppling head first for the ground. 

Once their Phantom shenanigans were over, Madison grabbed Owen and the girls and they let out their inner girl group. They amped the sass up to ten and let loose in girl squad fashion. Carolynn and Tori even showed Megan a few moves to dance. Their group dancing dissolved as everyone separated into their own dancing cliques. Tori and Savannah were mouthing the lyrics of the current song together as they moved to the rhythm. Jeremy was with his wife. Sacha somehow got Ghost as a dance partner and it looked like an awkward middle school dance as they stepped along. Charlie was being a sweetheart and dancing with Megan. Madison’s heart warmed seeing her sister laughing as he acted like a goof. The most eye catching dance duo was Owen and Booboo. It was a mystery how it happened but Owen was in high spirits as he danced with Booboo to the up tempo song.

The afterparty was winding down and Madison was grateful. She felt dead on her feet as all the excitement of the day caught up to her. “I think it is time we get to the hotel,” Ricardo said as Megan tried to keep her eyes open leaning against him.

“Probably,” Charlie replied as he pointed to Ghost who had thrown himself on the floor and was laying down. The dog didn’t seem to care he was in a room full of people and that he couldn’t stay there.

“I’ll tell Kenny that we're ready to go. Try not to fall out while waiting, would ya,” Ricardo said and gave his youngest daughter over to Madison.

Madison pushed her sister on Charlie to hold up. Megan’s dead weight would have her fall. “Keep her up, would ya,” she said mimicking what her father said earlier.

Charlie saluted. “Yes, _mon petit chou_.” Madison rolled her eyes at his antics.

Just then she was faced with Lin Manuel Miranda standing right in front of her. “I heard you are leaving now. I wanted to thank you for performing for the afterparty. It was a delight to have you, Madison. You really started the night off with a bang. I am working on some stuff that I think you’ll fit into well. I’ll contact you when we’re ready for auditions. Have a good night and a safe trip tomorrow back to Vancouver.” Lin gave her a hug and a kiss on both cheeks, moving on to say goodbye to some other people.

Madison stood there trying to wrap her head around what just happened. “No…way,” Owen said, voicing what was going through her head. “You just got offered a chance to be in Lin Manuel Miranda’s future projects,” he screamed joyously. Owen’s exclamation snapped Madison back from her shock.

“I did….he wants me to work with him!” Owen rushed over and the two started jumping around and holding each other’s hands. It was very reminiscent of when they found out they were going to the premiere.

“As cute as you two are right now, I don’t have the energy to jump for joy,” Charlie remarked. Madison and Owen stopped their jumping to see Charlie basically carrying Megan, who was knocked out.

“Okay, so the cars are pulling up for us to leave. Wait, did I miss something,” Ricardo asked as he saw his daughter and best friend still holding hands from jumping around.

Charlie shook his head. “We’ll update you in the car. Now please take your daughter off me.”

Ricardo laughed and picked up Megan. “I should have known you’d be her keeper.”

Madison shrugged. “Hey, she gets heavy when she falls asleep. Why have Charlie around if not to use his strength.” She had picked up Ghost from the ground and carried him in her arms.

“I am so glad I am of such use to you, Mads,” Charlie joked with a deadpan delivery as they walked to the car taking them to the hotel.

Madison smirked over at him. “It’s good to know you see the truth.”

“Alright, alright, you two can do this another time. Everyone pile in,” Ricardo said as the door to the car was opened for them.

When everyone got in, somehow the seating arrangement was off. Savannah was sitting next to Jeremy and Carolynn and Owen was next Booboo. Once they were all settled, it was like night caught up to them and they practically melted into their seats with Ghost flopping on Madison’s lap. “Now that we are done, my body feels exhausted,” Jeremy said and rubbed his neck. Carolynn pushed his hand away and started massaging the spot for him.

“No kidding,” Madison grumbled. “My feet are killing me after all that dancing and moving in these heels.” She pulled the heels off and left them on the floor.

“Put your feet up here. I’ll massage them for you,” Charlie said without missing a beat. Madison was pretty sure it was the exhaustion, but her eyes watered at the kind gesture. She maneuvered so she could put her feet in Charlie’s lap. Her eyes almost rolled back in her head at the feel of his calloused fingers working the ache out of her feet.

“Speaking of tired. It looks like Megan wasn’t the only one who fell asleep,” Savannah said. Everyone looked to see that Owen had his head on Booboo’s shoulder and was dead to the world.

Booboo chuckled. “I guess all the excitement got to him and he crashed.” Valentina looked over at Owen.

“He did work himself up earlier,” the brunette remarked casually and then laid her own head agains the back of the seat, closing her eyes.

Booboo patted Owen’s head. “I’ll make sure this one gets back to your room,” he said to Charlie.

Madison smiled. If only Owen knew that Booboo was watching out for him. “It’s too bad Ghost is so tired cause this would be the perfect opportunity to mess with Owen with his guard down,” Madison joked.


	18. Father's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie gets to have a day for himself thanks to Madison. We also get to see a little more inside his head about things. And Ghost is his usual self, lol.

Charlie was taken out of his slumber by someone, or rather someones, jumping on his bed. “Wake up Charlie,” Madison shouted. He groaned and forced his eyes open to see his boy and Madison having the time of their life bouncing about on his bed. He groaned again when one of Ghost’s paws barely missed his crotch.  
“Okay okay. I’m awake,” he mumbled, his voice laden with sleep. “What’s with all this?” Madison stopped her jumping and dropped down onto the bed with Ghost by her side. “Today’s Sunday. And you know what that means,” Madison said with glee.  
Charlie just stared at her with bleary eyes. Madison frowned at the lack of response. She sighed. “Happy Father’s Day, cariño.” Ghost barked as if to say the same thing. Charlie’s eyes widened. Maybe it was because his body was still trying to get back on west coast time after their New York trip but….  
“Wait, you want to celebrate?” It definitely sounded pretty dumb once it left his mouth. Madison’s eyes were shining brightly as she nodded enthusiastically.  
“Of course! You did all that stuff for me on Mother’s Day and we are both Ghost’s parents. You should have a day dedicated to you, too.”  
Charlie’s heart sped up at hearing that. Madison was trying to give him a heart attack at 22. “O-oh. Thanks.” His brain wasn’t working yet.  
“Come on,” Madison said excitedly and pulled him out of bed by his hand. He stumbled along behind her as she brought him to the kitchen. She shoved him down into one of the bar stools and went over to the microwave. Charlie’s lips twisted into a smile seeing what was on the plate. “Your Eggo Waffle sandwich, made by moi, and an egg and bacon breakfast muffin that Ghost helped with.” Madison set down the plate and he admired the dedication. She had even put a toothpick in the “sandwich” to hold it together. “Oh one more thing.” Madison stuck a candle in the muffin and lit it. “Cute, right?”  
People called him extra but Madison might have him beat with this. “It is. Thank you for the breakfast. I love it.” Madison beamed. Charlie couldn’t stand how she lit up like the sun. It was too beautiful to ignore. He started eating while he saw Madison doing something out the corner of his eye. “What are you doing,” he asked after swallowing some food.  
Madison didn’t say anything and instead set down a steaming cup of coffee. “A nice cup of Bustelo coffee to start your day. You Canadians have some awful brands. You need to get with the winning one.”  
Charlie smiled at her as he picked up the coffee. “I’ll make sure to buy a can.” He took a sip. It was made just how he liked it. That wasn’t a surprise since he and Madison had been sharing coffee for the past two and a half months. “Taste’s perfect.” That got another beaming smile out of Madison. He was going to lose his eyesight if he kept staring directly into the sun the way he does.  
“Finish up. Ghost get Daddy’s card.” Charlie’s brows furrowed. A few minutes later, Ghost trotted over to him and put something in his lap. The dog waited there for him to open it. Charlie smiled down at his boy and rubbed his head. He picked up what Ghost gave him. Tears sprung to his eyes as he looked at it. It was a handmade card that Madison and Ghost did for him. He opened it and a watery laugh slipped out at the sight of all the orange stickers and other random things to represent him. His heart lurched at Madison putting her signature as ‘Mommy’ and seeing Ghost’s paw print.  
Charlie wiped the tears from his eyes. “This is beautiful, Mads. You two really put a lot of thought into this.”  
Madison tried act nonchalant about the whole thing. “Ghost really liked the stickers. It was hard to get him not to eat or tear them apart though. And he was excited to put his own “signature”. He tried to put his nose on the ink pad too.”  
Charlie laughed at the imagery of their boy trying to cover himself in ink so he could mark all over the Father’s Day card. “Sounds like him. It is really sweet that you made this instead of going to the store to buy one.”  
Madison grabbed Charlie’s plate and cup as she started to clean up. “No Father’s Day cards at the store could put into words how great you are with Ghost. He adores you.” To prove that point, Ghost was on his hind legs and pawing at Charlie’s lap and whimpering. Charlie picked the small dog up who curled up in his lap. “See. He can’t get enough of you.”  
Charlie scratched behind Ghost’s ears as he watched Madison wash the dishes. “This is all great but what about Ricardo?”  
Madison waved it off. “I already gave him some muffins and I made him a video for Father’s Day. He’s all taken care of.”  
“What does that mean? Is there more you have planned for me?”  
Madison dried her hands as she responded. “You didn’t think breakfast was all there was, right?” Honestly Charlie did. Fathers overall didn’t do half as much as mothers when taking care of children and he was still surprised Madison did anything for him at all. He was honestly fine with just getting wished a Happy Father’s Day. Madison rolled her eyes. “You need to understand that you should be spoiled too. Now go get ready. We’re going to Stanley Park.”  
“Seriously? No dog park closer to us?” Madison looked exasperated with him.  
“Of course Stanley Park. It has trails we can hike and lots of open space for Ghost. And I think there are some events going on for Father’s Day we can check out. I already made a picnic basket for us to take.” Charlie’s heart was flipping at Madison’s words. She wasn’t really outdoorsy like him but she had set up a day just for him. She was really making his feelings grow by the minute.  
“Okay. Let me just get washed up and dressed.” He moved Ghost off his lap and put him back on the floor. Ghost grumbled at being moved from his warm spot. “Sorry boy. Daddy has to get ready for you.”  
He speed walked out of the kitchen, not wanting to take too long. “There better be no nip slips from you,” Madison warned. He laughed to himself. He’ll have to choose his shirt carefully then.

Stanley Park was an institution all itself in Vancouver. Compared to Madison’s own Central Park, Stanley was very natural with barely any landscaping. It was simply the land with as little fussing as possible. And Charlie loved it. It was the closest thing to being in the wild as one could get in Vancouver without actually being in it. “You look excited,” Madison joked, holding Ghost’s leash.  
Charlie could see that their boy was just as amped up to explore as he was. He was so lucky that Madison cared enough to bring him to a place he would genuinely enjoy. “Yup. And you came prepared for the hiking too.”  
Madison rolled her eyes at him. “Of course I did. You are a hiking fanatic. I had to make sure I was dressed properly. Now I picked out a good trail for us to do.” More and more it was like Madison was proving herself to be his dream girl.

Charlie let Madison go ahead of him with Ghost as they started the trail. It would be easier to keep an eye on them so neither lost their footing. It had nothing to do with the jogging shorts that she had on which fit her so perfectly. Not at all. “You have enough water in your pack, right? This one is going to be over two hours.”  
Madison nodded as she guided Ghost to walk on her right and not near the edge of the trail. “Yes. And I made sure to get the ones with lots of electrolytes. Have a good size of water for Ghost too and some snacks for him. I made sure I have everything. I promise. Booboo even gave him a first aid kit he set up himself.”  
“Sorry, I just want to be sure, you know. It is hot and you’ve never really went hiking like that. Just want to make sure you are comfortable and prepared.”  
Madison smiled back at him. “So cute. You are all worried about me.” Charlie smiled right back at her. This was going to be a great hike.

Time seemed to mean nothing as they went further along. “You are holding up pretty well there, Mads.”  
Madison flipped him off. “I have been working out regularly with you, ya know. I think my stamina has gone up these past couple months.”  
Charlie held up his hands to let her know he wasn’t looking to be whooped. “Put away the claws, girl. Not ready to be taken down.”  
Madison smirked. “Good. A guy should always know when not to anger a woman.” She ran her finger along his jawline and winked at him. Charlie swallowed the saliva that built in his mouth at the gesture. She was evil. Pure evil. He pulled out his water bottle and took a swig of it to stop from acting like a horny bastard around her. Scaring off Madison because he couldn’t control his desires wasn’t on his list for the day.  
“Look at these flowers Charlie,” Madison gasped, bending over to see the flowers on the edge of the trail close to the water. Ghost walked over to see them as well. Except it wasn’t to admire them like his mother was doing. “Ghost, you can’t eat the flowers,” Madison said to the Jack Russell Terrier. Charlie watched them, his heart full. Seeing them together would never fail to make him happy.  
His little bubble of happiness was popped at hearing a man walking by. “Look at that ass right there. Bet it bounces when she rides you,” the sleaze ball said to his friend. The two laughed as they kept going. Thankfully Madison was too preoccupied with Ghost to have heard anything. Even so, Charlie’s blood boiled. No one was going to cat call Madison today. He grabbed a rock by his foot and threw it at the smug perv who talked about his angel. It landed right in the middle of the guy’s shoulder blade. “Ah shit! What was that!?” Charlie smirked at his aim. There was sure to be a nasty black and blue bruise and possibly a fracture if he put enough force behind the throw.  
“Okay I think we need to move on now,” Madison said, turning around. Charlie noticed that Ghost was in her arms. He burst out laughing as he saw their boy’s mouth. There was grass and bits of flowers sticking out and he had a bit of dirt smudging the fur around it. Ghost just blinked as if it was totally normal to try to dig up park flowers to eat.  
“What are we going to do with you boy,” Charlie asked with tears in his eyes.  
“We’re going to wipe him down with those doggy wipes is what we’re going to do,” Madison huffed. “A mother’s job is never done.”

After their hike, the little family had gone back and grabbed the picnic basket out of the car. Charlie smiled at the sight of the orange and white gingham blanket that Madison laid down on the grass. She set down the picnic basket and even got a stick to put in the ground to put Ghost’s leash on so he could move around a bit without them. If being an entertainer didn’t work out for her, Madison would make a killer event planner.  
He was currently laying back with his head in her lap. She was threading her fingers through his hair and humming softly while feeding him fruit. It was so strange for him. He had always been the one to go the extra mile with others, but Madison was treating him like a king. All he had to do was relax while she pampered him. For the first time he actually felt genuinely wanted. In recent years, girls found him attractive and he’d gotten more than his fair share of comments about girls and guys wanting to bed him. But he never really felt appreciated.  
Madison was showing him what it was like to be in an equal relationship. That he could be as sappy as he wanted and he would get that in return. To be given such casual affection was almost too much for him. He loved his friends dearly. They were all amazing. But no one came close to Madison. She was the top. She was his number one. He couldn’t ask for anyone better.  
“What’cha thinking about, hmm,” Madison asked softly as she looked down at him. Charlie’s heart jumped as he looked into beauty itself. Madison’s eyes were so loving and sweet. Her skin glowed like she wasn’t human. Her nose curved so cutely. And her lips were set in a close lipped smile just for him. What set the perfection was the way her curls fell over her shoulder, framing her face. He might be falling for her.  
“Just about how great this day has been. It has been so special.”  
Madison ran her fingers through his hair grazing his forehead. “Good. It’s all I want for you, cariño.”

Charlie and Madison did try to take Ghost to the doggy park in Stanley Park but it didn’t go over so well. Ghost wanted to dominate all the other dogs and lord over them. “He gets that from you,” Charlie whispered as they watched Ghost try to play with the other dogs.  
Madison scoffed. “No, he doesn’t,” she hissed back.  
Ghost may have been small but he was mighty. He dragged an Australian Sheep Dog into the dirt in tug of war. The poor thing was scared of their boy and ran to hide behind its owner. Charlie smirked over at her. “Yup. He definitely takes after you.”  
Madison rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she huffed. “Ghost, come here baby.” Ghost’s ears perked up at hearing his mother and rushed over with big eyes and a hanging tongue. “Ghost you have to play nice with the other doggies, okay?” Ghost looked back at the dozen or so other dogs in the dog park. He looked back at her and barked as if in defiance. “No. Be good. Make friends not servants.”  
Even with Madison’s stern talking to, it seemed Ghost’s alpha tendencies preceded him and the other dogs steered clear. This did not deter Ghost from getting up to the highest spot he could reach in the dog park to showcase his rule of the land. Charlie and Mads groaned. “Maybe we encouraged him to be too confident,” Charlie sighed out.  
“You think,” Madison replied sarcastically.  
As expected, they were asked to leave. “I’m sorry but your dog is scaring the other pups here and their owners aren’t too happy about it. We expect the dogs that come here to be friendly and know how to behave. Your dog just terrorizes them all,” one of the park rangers said.  
Charlie laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Our bad. Guess Ghost is used to being an only child. He usually spends time with our friends and isn’t around other dogs.”  
“I don’t see anything funny about this, sir. Now please leave the dog park area. Thank you.”  
Charlie and Madison looked at each other. “Well that happened,” Charlie said.

It was official. Charlie was on cloud 9. Madison had made Father’s Day absolutely perfect for him. They spent the mid morning to mid afternoon at Stanley Park. And he had the most personal card that he could display on his nightstand. There was nothing else that could beat that.  
“Okay so I know you think I went a little overboard with the picnic basket but I called your sister to make sure I got all your favorites. But there is one more thing left.” Considering they just watched one of his favorite Adam Sandler movies, he wasn’t sure what else Madison had up her sleeve.  
“What, did you write me a song, too?”  
Madison shook her head. “No. Just wait here one second. It’s in my room.” Charlie sat there with Ghost who had made himself comfortable upside down and was snoring. All the running and playing had tired out the small dog. Charlie took a quick photo and put it on his Instagram stories. He couldn’t help showing off his boy.  
Madison came back with an orange gift bag. She handed it to him. “This is the last thing. I hope you like it.” Charlie pulled the tissue out of the way and he nearly burst into tears as he pulled out his last Father’s Day gift.  
“A plushie version of Ghost,” he asked all emotional.  
Madison blushed. “Y-yeah. I made it for you. I knew I couldn’t do the same thing you did and this way you can always have Ghost to cuddle even when he isn’t with you.”  
“When did you even have time to do this,” he asked as he admired the handiwork. Madison had not skimped on any detail when it came to the plushie. It was an exact copy of their boy.  
Madison shrugged. “I started working on it the day after Mother’s Day. Been doing it little by little since then.”  
Charlie hugged it close to him. “I love it. I’ll always have it with me.”  
Madison turned on her megawatt smile, her cute tooth gap on display. “I’m glad.”  
Charlie put the Ghost plushie back in the bag and focused back on Madison. “You know it would be great if I had something else to cuddle,” he said, his voice low and gravelly.  
Madison’s eyes took on a different light, her lids drooping. Charlie stepped closer, his eyes going from Madison’s and her lips. This was it. It was going to happen. He could practically taste the strawberry lipgloss on her lips. His lips were buzzing with the need. He started to tilt his head just so, that way it could be the perfect angle.  
“Okay, who took my AirMax sneakers,” Owen asked. Charlie and Madison pulled away from each other. Owen did not just ruin the moment!? He turned his head, a deadly glare in his eyes, at his roommate. “I’m gonna…g-go ask Jer. See ya,” he spit out and ran.  
“I think Ghost hid his shoes. Guess I gotta go find them. And besides, my dad wants to go to this comedy club later. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Madison stroked his cheek and walked off to hunt for Owen’s beloved sneakers.  
“A-alright. Be ready for our morning run with Ghost.” As Ghost sat down in front of him he sighed. “You couldn’t pull that off at a different time? I was this close,” Charlie said to Ghost, showing what he meant with his fingers. Ghost just turned his head in confusion. “You are so lucky I love you.”


	19. A Ghost No More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. It was just as hard for me to write as it will be for you guys to read it. Just to be clear I am not trying to say that people with mental disabilities are bad people. I, myself, have them. But this is from Madison and Charlie's perspective who feel a certain way, given the circumstances. WAY back in Chapter 9, I had referenced Tarzan. Well Tarzan is going to be in this again. Except not in the same way. Charlie says an Acadian French swear: C'est des conneries! It means 'This is bullshit!' If this is not the right phrase, can any Acadians point it out for me. Merci. So grab your tissues and water for this. Enjoy!
> 
> TW: Implications of imposter syndrome, rage, and depression

To say that the band meeting was chaotic was an understatement. It seemed like everyone was talking at once, trying to get different answers. It was the day before Madison’s 17th birthday and it seemed as if nothing was set in stone. “Okay so you have the colors as lavender and white for the concert, right,” Charlie said as he scribbled down the set up for Madison’s birthday concert.

“Yes,” Madison nodded as she checked everything off. As they went through the meeting,her birthday was becoming more real. It had felt like so long since her last thanks to Covid. Being able to finally have the concert that she wanted was insane. And she was determined that it would be perfect.

“Okay yeah so we got that but do you have your dress for your dinner with Charlie before the concert,” Owen asked. He had been wanting all the tea about the dinner ever since Charlie mentioned it a few days before. The mention of the dress reminded her of the premiere the week before. She had landed on best dressed lists in magazines and blogs. There was even an article by Just Jared wondering about her and Charlie thanks to their matching outfits and the interview they did with E!.

But the best part was definitely being featured in Hautelemode’s video reviewing the red carpet looks from the premiere. Luke Meagher had praised her unique dress choice and even the fact she picked out Charlie’s suit. Her favorite quote from the fashion critic/stylist was: “That Charlie Gillespie can sing to me anytime. He and Madison are giving me rockstar Zanessa. We love it.”

“Mads? Hey Madison, are you there,” Owen called to her, bringing her back to the band meeting she was still in. “You okay, sis?” Madison blinked a few times, trying to get her mind focused.

“Yeah, sorry. I think my brain needed to take a break for a second.”

Owen nodded with a smirk. “Can’t blame you. But your dinner dress?”

Madison nodded, absorbing Owen’s words. “I’m getting it after this. Charlie already got his suit. Right, _cariño_ ,” Madison said, looking at Charlie.

Charlie’s cheeks were dusted pink as he replied. “Uh yeah. Our reservation is at six.” He was staring down at the table. Madison didn’t understand why he was acting so awkward. Although her father did insist that she be dressed her best for her birthday dinner with Charlie.

“We’ll ignore Charlie being Charlie and back to planning. Are we having tables or is it just chairs or is everyone standing,” Jeremy said to Madison. They were trying to figure out how the “venue” should be set up. Staging was going to be the next on the list.

Madison looked over the renderings she had made of different possibilities based on the size and shape of the space they were using for the concert. “Well I think we can do a combination of-”.

“What the fuck,” Charlie exclaimed, cutting off Madison and interrupting the band meeting. He was looking down at his phone and his hazel eyes were bugged out.

“Ugh, what is it now, Charlie,” Owen asked exasperated. They needed to have everything settled so that Madison could focus on celebrating her birthday the next day.

Madison glared at Owen before turning back to Charlie. “What is it? You look kind of freaked.”

Charlie nodded, his mouth agape, still staring at his phone. “You can say that. I was just checking my DMs real quick. I thought this was a fan gushing about us at the In the Heights premiere but….it’s about Ghost.” At the mention of their dog, Madison looked underneath the table where said dog was sleeping at her and Charlie’s feet.

“What do you mean? Like they were talking about how Ghost looked on the red carpet? I don’t get it.”

Charlie shook his head, not taking his eyes off his phone. “No. This person…they said they recognized Ghost from somewhere. It seems the person is from Vancouver. I thought they meant they had seen him in the streets but…they said that Ghost is their friend’s dog.”

Madison’s face scrunched up in even more confusion. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, what’s going on,” Owen asked. He and Jeremy were leaned in, just as curious about what Charlie was talking about.

“This person claims that Ghost is their friend’s dog that disappeared like eight months ago. That the friend has been looking for him. Said they sent the photos of Ghost to the friend and that I should expect to get a DM from this supposed owner.”

“Check your DMs again,” Madison shouted, slapping his shoulder.

“Hurry! See if it’s legit,” Owen blurted out.

“Yeah! We need to know,” Jeremy agreed.

“Okay, okay! Mads stop slapping me,” Charlie replied, his fingers shaking a little as he went back to see if he had anything new. Madison looked over at the phone screen and her stomach dropped when she saw a name that did not look like a fan account that had DM’ed Charlie a few minutes ago.

Charlie clicked on it and a dead silence fell over the band as he went through the whole DM. Once he was finished, they sat there completely still. No one knew what to say or do. It just seemed like some weird dream. “I can’t believe it,” Madison uttered.

“No way,” Owen said after her.

“Woah,” Jeremy breathed out.

The only one who was silent was Charlie who hadn’t taken his eyes off his phone, even now as the screen was black. “Charlie? _Cariño_? Say something. Please,” Madison begged and touched his shoulder.

Charlie’s jaw was tight as he squeezed his phone. “This girl just decides she wants Ghost back after all this time? What about us? What about him?”

Madison swallowed the lump forming in her throat as she saw his eyes a dark green behind the wall of unshed tears. “I-I know. But she was in the hospital after losing him and he was her service dog. W-we have to give him b-back. No matter how we feel. He was meant for a specific purpose.”

Madison couldn’t control herself and the tears spilled out. Charlie’s head whipped to her and he immediately went to wipe away her tears. “Don’t cry. Ssh, ssh. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out, I promise.”

This did not stop Madison’s tears. “I just…I just wish we didn’t have to give him back,” she cried, grabbing the front of his shirt with both hands.

Hearing his mother crying, Ghost popped his head from underneath the table and put his head on her lap in the hopes of distracting her. Madison looked down at their boy, more tears coming down. She snatched Ghost up in her arms and ran out the room, her chair rattling to the floor behind her.

“MADISON COME BACK,” Charlie called out. Sadly, Madison was already long gone.

Charlie dropped into his chair, staring in the direction Madison ran off in.

“What are you going to do,” Owen asked, alerting Charlie to the fact their bandmates were there and had seen everything. Owen looked nervous and worried. He was either going to throw up or need his inhaler.

Charlie sighed as he looked between his two friends. “I don't know.”

Madison screamed into her pillow, wishing she could hide in her room with Ghost and never come out. “Oh you’re back. Stressful band meeting,” Ric asked, coming into her room.

Madison pulled the pillow away from her face, which was tinged red from the mixture of anger and sadness. “No. There’s no point in getting that dress. My birthday is ruined,” she huffed and threw herself on her bed, Ghost curling up at her side.

“What do you mean? Did you have a fight with Charlie or something?”

Madison shook her head, her curls waving around wildly. “No! We found out that Ghost belongs to someone else and they want him back. She is coming to pick him up the day after tomorrow.”

“WHAT!? Okay, explanation _now_!” Madison huffed again and got up and sat down criss cross with Ghost in her lap. She pet his back as she went through the devastating news all over again. When she was done she had tears running down her face again and was hugging Ghost to her chest. The dog was crying and trying to lick away her tears. He didn’t seem to understand what was going on but knew his mother was hurting.

Ricardo sat down next to her, putting his hand on her thigh. “ _Nina_ , I know this hurts. Trust me I do. But he isn’t just a pet. Ghost is trained to help this girl. I know you love him. I do, too. He has to go back to her, though. We can get you a new dog. One that is all your own.”

Madison shook her head, her hair seeming even frizzier than usual in her upset state. “You don’t get it! He’s not just any dog. He’s ours! Mine and Charlie’s. We saved him from the streets. We adopted him! How can it be fair to take that away!”

Ricardo pulled his daughter into a side hug and kissed her head. “I know, baby. I know.” He held her as she cried into his shoulder, overwhelmed by how fast things were falling apart.

Charlie ran his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time, glaring at his laptop. Bile rose in his throat at the site of the restaurant’s website he was on. He just had to cancel the dinner for Madison’s birthday. Her special day was quickly being ruined by one pesky DM. And he couldn’t stand it.

“What’s the latest, Char,” Owen asked, coming into his room. Charlie had been in the room for what was close to two hours trying to figure out the Ghost dilemma. Charlie turned his glare on Owen. “Hey, I am just here to check on you. Jeremy is letting everyone know that the birthday concert is cancelled so…”.

Charlie sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair again. “I contacted the girl and tried to work something out, you know. I’d pay for her to get a new service dog and everything involved if she would let us keep Ghost, but she shut that down.”

Owen whistled. “You tried to bribe her? Wow, that is not something I would expect from you.”

Charlie groaned. “I will do anything to keep Madison happy and Ghost with us… _C’est des conneries_! She acts as if we don’t matter. As if we don’t care about him, too. He disappeared from the yard. It’s as if she thinks we _stole_ him from her or something!” The Canadian actor switched into his native tongue, shouting in rage. He hit his laptop nearly flinging it to the ground.

“Calm down, Charlie. Relax, bro,” Owen said and rushed to hold Charlie’s arms from flailing around.

“My family is being torn apart,” Charlie croaked out, his eyes red.

“I know….”.

Jeremy walked in, the air around him only adding to the heaviness in the room. “I told everyone the concert is off. I didn’t go into why. I figured you and Maddie would decide if you want to or not.”

“What’s your next step,” Owen asked softly.

Charlie rubbed at his eyes in the hopes of stopping the tears from coming again. “I…I guess check shelters to see if I can find a song for us…”.

Owen sat down next to him. “Okay. We’ll help.”

Jeremy walked over and sat on the edge of the bed on Charlie’s other side. “Yeah, we are here for you.”

“Thanks, guys. I love you so much.” He grabbed his laptop and typed in for shelters.

Jeremy and Owen settled their heads on either of Charlie’s shoulders. They were a band, they were brothers. Always there for each other.

The search for a dog to adopt was going nowhere. “None of these dogs are right. They are too big or surprisingly too small. And I can’t find a Jack Russell Terrier anywhere. Ugh, what’s the point,” Charlie moaned and threw himself back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling, dejected. “All our plans for us are gone…”.

“Well most shelters have mixed breeds since purebreds are normally highly sought after. It’s unlikely to find a Jack Russell Terrier.” Charlie and Owen glared at the bassist. “You didn’t want to hear that, did you?”

“Ya think,” Owen replied, sarcastically. “Still can’t believe that mongrel is actually a certified service dog.”

“When you think about it, it does make sense, though. He knows how to get things when needed, knows how to be quiet when needed, and walks well. When you’ve had your anxiety attacks, he has been there for you to calm you down in his own way. Since he was on the streets for so long, he must have had to adapt to protect himself out there,” Jeremy answered wisely. He was being stared at by his two bandmates. “What? I spent a lot of time looking up about dogs when Carolynn and I were going to get some.”

Charlie sighed. “Thanks for the reminder. He’s a working dog so he has a duty to what he was trained for. I just….it won’t be the same. I can’t look Madison in the eyes, knowing that I broke her heart like that.”

Owen squeezed his forearm. “You aren’t the one taking Ghost away. That girl is.”

Charlie shook his head. “But I _am_ the one who agreed we should bring him home with us. We got attached to him and for what? To be devastated when he leaves.”

Jeremy looked down at him, his green eyes concerned. “Charlie this isn’t your fault. You can’t blame yourself.”

There was no response as Charlie stared at the ceiling as if it had all the answers to his current problems. “I’m supposed to take care of my family. Instead I can’t keep us together. And Maddie will pull away. We’ll be nothing more than cordial bandmates.”

“Okay you are turning into me. Do you need a Zoloft?”

Charlie ignored Owen’s sarcasm. “You know what the worst part of it all is?”

“What,” Owen and Jeremy asked together, expecting another rant from Charlie.

“His original name is Seymour.”

Owen and Jeremy stared at each other and then back to the pained guitarist. “SEYMOUR!?!?!?!?”

After a fitful night full of tears and screaming on both their parts, the two sat in the common area of the apartment, Ghost sitting between them. They couldn’t act like it was a normal day and go about their usual routine. Because it wasn’t. They had only a day before Ghost was gone from their lives. It was better spent being with Ghost as much as possible. To create as many memories as they could in their last moments.

“I keep hoping that this is some nightmare I can wake up from. That yesterday didn’t happen. We are still planning my birthday and Ghost is ours forever. It’s all I want.”

Charlie’s eyes prickled as the tears dared to gather at his eye line. “ _Je suis désolé, mon petit chou_.” I know this isn’t the birthday you wanted. If I could change it for you, I would. You know that.”

Still staring at the coffee table, Madison reached over and intertwined their fingers. “I know…”.

Owen walked in, none of his usual morning grumpiness or sarcasm in sight. “Want me to call everyone over? We’ll celebrate Ghost’s….last day.” It was evident that there was a lump in Owen’s throat at the end.

“Yeah, that’d be great. Thanks O,” Charlie said somberly, staring at nothing.

Trying to fake being happy was hard. No one wished Madison a happy birthday. It certainly wasn’t a happy day and it just didn’t feel right. Madison didn’t want anyone to pretend with her. They focused their energy on Ghost. The group was determined that Ghost would have the best day.

“Hey you little beast, you want this? Come get it,” Owen taunted and waved his loafer in front of Ghost’s face. Madison’s lips turned into a sad smile as Owen messed with Ghost so he could chase him. He was throwing away his nice shoes just so Ghost could play. Madison watched as Owen ran around the coffee table with Ghost at his heels. Being Owen, he tripped on the corner of the couch and Booboo did a baseball slide and kept him from falling face first on the wood floor. “Thanks,” he mumbled as he picked up his head.

Ghost took advantage of this and jumped on his back in victory and barked happily. “Aww. You made him happy,” Booboo said sweetly.

“I think he's digging his nails into my back,” Owen grunted.

Booboo chuckled. “Come on Ghost. You wanna ride on the skateboard down the hallways? We’ll drive all the other tenants crazy.” Ghost barked and jumped off Owen’s back to follow the half Asian. The two left the apartment to cause havoc on the other people in the apartment building.

Owen groaned as he struggled to his feet. “Making Ghost happy is putting me in a world of hurt.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “I think that is just you not knowing how to walk like a normal person. Ghost just makes sure to take advantage of that for his own enjoyment.”

Owen glared at him. “I really do hate you.”

Charlie looked up at the blond, sadness radiating off of him. “Yeah…hate you, too.”

Owen sighed. “Charlie-”.

Owen’s admonition was cut short by someone screaming out in the hallway and a chorus of laughter near the door. Charlie and Owen looked to Madison. Madison rolled her eyes and got up to open the door.

She was greeted by Booboo, Jadah, Savannah and Tori trying to keep each other upright as they laughed and Ghost sitting in front of them with a sandwich in his mouth. “Please tell me he didn’t,” Madison sighed.

“You know we can’t lie. Last time that happened, you slapped me in the back of the head with a towel,” Booboo replied.

Madison sighed again. “Get inside. All of you. Ghost, eat that in the kitchen.” The group of friends trudged in with Sacha coming in behind them. Ghost grumbled but trotted to his food bowl like an obedient boy.

“So I figured we could give Ghost some going away gifts. To…remember us by.” Madison looked down to see that Sacha had bags in his hand full to the brim with arts and crafts.

“That sounds perfect,” she replied, tears in her eyes.

Madison and Charlie hugged their friends as they left. “Thanks for being here, you guys,” Madison said, giving Jadah and Savannah tight hugs.

“Of course Maddie. We wouldn’t leave you by yourselves in this. We’ll all be there in the morning when….yeah,” Savannah said, not being able to say it.

“I’ll make sure we have ice cream and have one of the guys get you whatever drinks you want,” Jadah said in the hopes of lightening the mood.

Madison smiled at them. “You are the best, I swear.”

“We love you, girl,” Jadah said as they all hugged again. “If you need us, just call.”

Madison took a second to let that sink in. “I-I will. Night.”

“Night,” they both said, walking out.

The last one was Booboo. He bent down on his knee and scratched Ghost’s head, who was giving a doggy smile. “You have been a great friend. Thank you for all the fun you brought us, little one.” Ghost barked. Booboo’s eyes closed to fight the tears. He stood up and walked over to Charlie and the two of them wrapped each other in a bear hug. “I’m so sorry. So so sorry,” he cried into Charlie’s shoulder. Charlie’s eyes squeezed closed tighter and silently cried. They let go after almost thirty seconds and then Booboo moved onto Madison.

He gently put his hands on her cheeks, both of them emotional. “I am always a phone call away, okay honey. Whatever you need, I’ll do it.” He and Madison touched foreheads, letting their tears run down their faces. Booboo pulled away and readied to leave. He looked to Owen who watched Ghost. He grabbed Owen’s hand and gave it a squeeze, their fingers gliding against each other’s as Booboo let go. He gave Owen a sad smile and left.

Madison saw Owen’s conflicted face. She knew his anxiety was sky rocketing. “I can’t believe this is really happening,” he breathed out.

“Yeah…,” Charlie said to no one.

“Why don’t you kids go to sleep and I’ll clean up,” Ricardo said from behind all five.

Jeremy and Carolynn were quiet and looked to Madison and Charlie for an answer. “ _Gracias, Papi_. I’m going to stay with Charlie tonight, okay?”

Ricardo nodded. “ _De nada_ , baby girl. And I figured.” He frowned and looked down at an oblivious Ghost who went through all the things that everyone made for him. “It’s not going to be the same without the little guy.”

“It won’t,” Owen said, his voice hollow.

Madison and Charlie sat on his bed with Ghost in Madison’s lap. She rubbed his head, her hands shaking. “Eventually, I won’t find any of his fur on my clothes anymore. My hands won’t have that dog smell after playing with him.”

Charlie scratched underneath Ghost’s chin. “No more sounds of the city as we walk him before the sun is high in the sky. No clinking of his bowls when he eats or drinks.”

Madison bent forward and sniffed Ghost. “I want to remember his scent. Maybe if I keep sniffing him, his scent will stay in my mind.”

Charlie moved his hand to put it on top of Madison’s on Ghost. “I don’t think we’ll ever forget that scent. I know I can’t forget the way he looked at me when we found him.”

Madison started to cry again. I can still feel how bony he was when I picked him up that first time. When he was wrapped up in your jacket…”.

Charlie cried too. “It’s like bringing a baby home from the hospital. Seeing you holding him, I could see you as a mom.”

Madison connected their fingers on Ghost. They were all together as they spent their last night together. “I fell in love with him in that moment.”

Charlie leaned closer to the two most important parts of his life. “I know…”.

“Ghost’s our baby,” Madison whispered. Ghost looked up at her, curious. She used her other hands to stroke down his nose. “Our little boy.”

Charlie pulled his hand out of Madison’s. “I think we need something to remember this. And for Ghost to know we love him.”

Madison starred at him, completely lost. “What are you talking about?”

“A song,” Charlie answered, pulling his acoustic into his lap. He checked the tuning before looking through his lashes at Madison. “I have a song in mind. Is it okay if I…”.

Madison nodded. Charlie started strumming chords. “Come stop your crying/It will be alright/Just take my hand/Hold it tight,” he started off the song.

A new wave of tears hit Madison as she instantly recognized the song of parental love. She brought Ghost closer to her and cried into his fur. She didn’t want this to to be the end. For it to be the end of their family.

Charlie scooted right up to them, his knees touching Madison’s. “And you’ll be in my heart/Yes you’ll be in my heart/From this day on/Now and forever more,” Charlie continued singing, his voice wavering as he cried. He watched as Ghost tried to lick away Madison’s tears and stop her sadness. He never wanted to see the sight in front of him.“Always I’ll be with you/I’ll be there for you always/Always and always/Just look over your shoulder/Just look over your shoulder/Just look over your shoulder/Always,” Charlie finished off the song, letting the last notes on the guitar ring out.

Charlie put his guitar to the side and pulled Madison and Ghost into his arms, the two humans crying as they held Ghost between them. As if the song was a call, Charlie’s door opened and the two other members of their band walked in. They climbed on the bed and joined in the hug. “We love you, Ghost,” Madison whispered into the quiet. Just like that first night with Ghost, they slept together with the dog. Instead of happiness and excitement for the future, it was sadness and worry.

Just as everyone promised, they were there to see Ghost off and be there for Madison and Charlie. Ghost stared at them all, confused by why his humans were crying so much. “Don’t look like that. Don’t worry,” Madison said, trying to laugh. She didn’t succeed.

“Yeah, listen to Mommy,” Charlie said, his voice getting quiet at the end. It was hard to say that knowing it would not be true in only a few minutes time.

Owen got down to Ghost’s level, looking the dog that had been terrorizing him for months in the eye. He pulled something out of his pocket. Madison’s breath hitched as she saw the same socks that Ghost took from Owen that first night he was in the apartment. “Here. Now you have something from me to chew on.” Ghost looked at the socks for a second before gently taking them out of Owen’s open hand.

He put the socks down and then stepped forward to lick on Owen’s face. “Okay, okay. I get it. I love you, too, you mongrel.” Ghost stepped back as Owen wiped his face with the bottom of his shirt. “Dog slobber, yuck.” Ghost barked. “Gonna miss you.” Owen leaned forward and hugged Ghost. The dog put up an arm to Owen’s shoulder to reciprocate the hug.

One by one, everyone went to hug Ghost. The dog seemed to grow sadder as each person said their final farewells. It seemed like he knew something was happening. The reality of that only made it harder to deal with everything. Madison squeezed Charlie’s hand until her knuckles were white, feeling like her heart was beating like a ticking clock, counting down the minutes to when Ghost would be gone.

“Mads, let’s get in our goodbyes before she comes,” Charlie whispered into her ear. Madison shook herself out of the whirling thoughts consuming her mind.

“R-right.” The both of them knelt down to Ghost, trying to keep themselves together. It was really the end. “B-baby…know that we love you, okay? No matter what. You are the best thing to happen to us. Thank you for making our days brighter…and full of smiles. _Te quiero much, mi niño_.”

Charlie took a second to collect himself before speaking. “I knew I couldn’t say no to you when I first saw those big cute gray eyes of yours. You taught me, taught us what it means to be parents. Thank you for being you. _Je t’aime toujours, mon coeur_.”

With their final words said, they pulled Ghost into their embrace one last time. Ghost whimpered and clung to them. It was difficult to know that he was hurting just like them. But he would be back where he belonged soon enough. Charlie had to pull Madison off of Ghost. His heart ached as he did but it was already hard enough.

Ghost looked up at them after they stood up, his grey eyes so sad and lost. It was like they were looking at him from that day when they found him. He was so scared and confused but had trusted them enough to go towards them. As if to torture them more, all the moments they shared with Ghost flashed through Madison’s mind. She watched Charlie pick up Owen’s socks and put them in the basket that Ghost was taking with him.

Inside the basket was a physical representation of their time with the dog. Tucked away on the bottom was Charlie’s jacket that they first wrapped Ghost into. On top of that was the sweater that Madison bought him. Then there was the muscle tee he would wear when they worked out. Nestled in the middle was Booboo’s helmet so Ghost could continue shredding the streets on a skateboard. There was a CD recording to the Mother’s Day song gently settled on the side in a plastic cover. Squished into the helmet was Ghost’s little squeaky hot dog toy and the pom poms that Charlie had before. Folded neatly was the vest Ghost wore at the In the Heights premiere just over a week before. The last piece was the card that Madison and Ghost made only days before for Father’s Day. And topping it off were the socks.

The trip down memory lane was halted indefinitely as the girl walked in. She was college aged by her appearance and had long strawberry blonde hair. She had a leash for Ghost that had service dog on it. Madison was just glad that there wasn’t a special harness either. The black nylon fabric with the white lettering was a stark contrast to Ghost’s red collar and harness.

“Caitlin, right,” Charlie called to her, his voice devoid of emotion.

The girl, Caitlin, nodded. “He’s ready?”

Charlie nodded, his lips formed into a severe straight line. “Yes. His things are in the basket.”

Madison could feel her nails drawing blood from Charlie’s hand as she held it as tight as she could. He held her hand just as tight to where there was a slight pinch of pain. They needed it to keep them together in this moment. She felt Owen put his hand on her shoulder but it was so distant as she focused her energy on Charlie and Ghost.

“Good,” Caitlin said. She turned her eyes to Ghost with a smile on her face. “Come here Seymour. We’re going home now.”

Ghost looked up at Madison as if to ask if he should go. If the girl was calling to him. Madison’s jaw hurt in her effort to smile at him despite it being clenched up to then. “Go. It’s okay, sweetie.”

Ghost looked at her and Charlie for a bit longer before breathing out his nose as if sighing. He grabbed the handles of the basket in his mouth and walked towards Caitlin. Blood trickled down Charlie’s hand and Madison could feel the crackling of the bones in hers as they watched him walk away from them. He set the basket down and sat in front of Caitlin. She smiled at his quick actions. “That’s a good boy, Seymour. Time to go.” She clicked the leash onto the metal of the harness, picked up his backset, and looked at them. She gave a small imperceptible nod and tugged on the leash to get Ghost moving.

Understanding that he was leaving them, Ghost whimpered and tried to pull away from Caitlin. “Seymour, stop it. We’ll have to retrain you to knock out those bad habits.” Madison’s lips curled into a scowl at the implications of that sentence. Ghost didn’t seem to like it either and was tugging harder to get out of her hold. Seeing that he was being stubborn, Caitlin pulled on the leash and dragged Ghost out of the room, the dog howling all the way.

Once she was gone with Ghost out of the room, Madison and Charlie broke their strong front. Madison threw herself into Charlie’s arms bawling into his chest. Charlie had one hand securely around her waist and the other stroking her luscious curls. They couldn’t say anything and just cried with Charlie’s tears falling into Madison’s hair as he nuzzled it. Their family was no more. It was no longer Madison and Charlie. The parent unit. It was Madison Reyes, new actress on the scene and Charlie Gillespie, costar and bandmate.

“Wait…what was that,” Owen asked. Madison looked up from burying her face into Charlie’s chest, trying to listen. There was scuffling of some sort.

“SEYMOUR COME BACK,” Caitlin shouted. The heard nails hitting the floor and then Ghost whipped around the corner, the broken leash waving in the wind as he ran. Ghost ran and jumped into Madison and Charlie’s arms already knowing they’d catch him.

The two of them held Ghost to them, not wanting to ever let him go again. They looked up when they saw Caitlin run back into the room. She had the rest of the leash dangling in her hand, her eyes wide in disbelief that “her” dog disobeyed her so blatantly. Knowing that they weren’t leaving their embrace, Jeremy did the honors of getting Ghost’s things. “I’ll take that,” he said in a sickly sweet voice with a fake smile as he grabbed the basket out of Caitlin’s hand.

He strolled back, happy with his part, and gave the basket to Carolynn to hold. Owen smiled at them all. “Oh, by the way, his name isn’t Seymour,” he stated clearly to Caitlin with a bite to his tone. Ghost barked at that.

“It’s Ghost,” everyone called out for Madison and Charlie. Ghost barked happily and jumped out of his parents’ arms to dance around. 


	20. Lose You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So this is part 2 of the heartbreaking chapters. This one is going to be difficult for different reasons than the previous chapter. Because I want to showcase the emotional connection, I may or may not have pulled a Juke in episode 9 of Season 1 on you guys. Enjoy!
> 
> TW: Depression, mental breakdown

Despite the fact that Ghost came back to them, keeping their family intact, things weren’t sunshine and rainbows. It had been a week since the rollercoaster that was Ghost almost leaving, but Madison was still distraught. She didn’t want to leave Ghost and almost always had him either at her side or in her arms. And she did the same with Charlie.

The Canadian didn’t understand it. He knew that it would take time to get over what happened, but it was like she was getting worse instead of better. He didn’t really want to poke the bear so to say, though. Having her so close did help him. The feeling of guilt and failure wasn’t as soul crushing that way. But that didn’t excuse the situation they were currently in.

“Mads, I can’t do this with you latched onto me like that,” he groaned as he had his hands at the button of his pants, facing the toilet.

Madison shook her head against the middle of his shoulder blades. “No. I don’t want to leave.” She had her arms securely around his waist like a vice. Normally he’d love it but he could barely move to take the piss that he desperately needed. Unless there was something he didn’t know about Madison, he’d rather not pee all over himself to appease the young woman.

Charlie sighed and looked over to Ghost who was sitting and watching the two of them. “Ghost, a little help here. Can you get your Mommy to let me go for like two minutes?” Ghost barked and forced his way between them to try to push Madison off. Instead of achieving his goal, Ghost just ended up stuck between them in a weird human-dog-human sandwich. Ghost whimpered. “Great. Now I really can’t move.”

To Charlie’s relief, Madison released her hold on him and grabbed Ghost. She set the terrier to the side who happily flopped onto his side on the bathroom floor now that he was free. Charlie’s celebration was too quick as Madison was back with her arms around him the next second. “Just go. I’m not watching.”

Charlie fumbled with his pants, his hands shaking as he contemplated if he should bite the bullet and pee or not. “I don’t know. I mean my….Mads, your dad will have my head if he knew about this.”

“We are wasting more time going back and forth instead of you going. Do it fast and it will be over with.” Charlie cursed in French under his breath and shoved his boxer briefs down so he could relieve himself. He tried not to think about the idea of Madison spotting him bare. He didn’t want this to be how she saw him in that state. Mortifying didn’t even cover it.

He sighed once he was done. “That’s better. Remind me to not play What are the Odds with Owen regarding drinking. I think I drank my body weight in water.” He fixed his pants back to their original position and shuffled over to the sink with Madison attached to him.

“At least your insides are clean,” Madison replied with her head still snuggled into his back. He was wearing a basic sleeveless shirt so there was no doubt Madison could feel every twitch of his muscles especially when she tightened her grip on his shirt.

He washed his hands with Ghost watching the whole time. “Don’t even boy. You cannot take a bath in here.” Ghost grumbled. “Sorry. It’s either the bathtub or the groomer for you. So I have to do my scenes. You are going to be watching from my seat, right?”

Madison nodded putting her head on his shoulder. “Of course. Ghost and I will be there the whole time.”

“So have you figured out what is going on with our girl here,” Owen asked as he stood next to Charlie’s bed. Madison was fast asleep with her hand wrapped in Charlie’s as she slept. Ghost laid next to her just relaxing.

Charlie shook his head. “Not sure. Ric says she hasn’t been sleeping well. I mean I had to stay on the phone with her until she fell asleep a few days ago.”

Owen sighed. “I know she was hurting really bad but do you think she is afraid to sleep? And why is she glued to you like an extra limb?”

Charlie wish he had any answers. All he saw was this far off look in Madison’s eyes as if she wasn’t all there. Yet she made sure not to let either Ghost or Charlie venture too far from her. “I have no idea. She doesn’t talk to me. She just does what she needs for the show, we have really surface level conversation, but stay together almost all the time. Ric tries to get her to open up, but she pushes him away. It’s like she simultaneously wants to act like nothing is wrong but also can’t let go of what happened.”

Owen looked down at Madison. “I hate that she’s struggling so much. He went to touch her arm but Ghost pushed his hand away with his paw. Owen tried again. Ghost intercepted again. He tried a few more times and Ghost stopped him every time. “Stop that! You know I was lying when I said I would miss you.”

Ghost growled at him. “He’s being a good boy. If you wake up Madison I will break you,” Charlie said lowly.

Owen stepped back and crossed his arms like a child. “I’m telling Booboo.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “And what? He’s going to fight me because I upset you?” Owen’s eyes welled with tears and his cheeks flamed red. “Owen I-”.

“You’re right. It’s stupid. He wouldn’t care.” He hurried out of the room and he heard Owen’s door slam shut. Charlie groaned again. Why couldn’t he keep his mouth shut? Now Madison was going to be angry when she found out he made Owen cry about Booboo.

“I really messed up that one, huh,” he said to Ghost. The dog tilted his head and then yapped. “I know. Hopefully Mommy won’t be too mad.” Ghost shook his head and laid back down next to Madison.

Charlie and Madison were filming a scene and thankfully for everyone, Julie was supposed to be angry and confused because trying to snap Madison out of her depressed state wasn’t easy. Charlie watched her pace in front of him, saying the lines in a frantic shout. It was like she was channeling all the feelings from the week before into her acting.

“I can’t do this! Nothing is working and I am so lost! None of this makes sense! Why did this have to happen!? I should have known something was wrong! We lost so much precious time! Now we may never stop Caleb,” Madison ranted as Julie.

Charlie stepped forward to grab Madison’s hand to stop her pacing. “Jules, stop. You have to calm down. You are getting yourself worked up,” he said as Luke in a calming voice.

Madison whipped around to face him, her eyes wild. “How am I supposed to be calm!? We have to save Willie and find a way to release all those poor souls! And Nick….it’s because of me that Caleb has control of him!”

Charlie grimaced as he saw the real fear in Madison’s eyes. Her character was scared of losing to Caleb but Madison was also scared. Of what? He wasn’t sure. He pulled her along and moved her body to sit down. “Just take a seat for a second. You’re the one who taught me not to be rash and to think with a clear head. Right now you do not have a clear head.”

“Luke,” Madison cried out at his character indignantly.

Charlie stood his ground in front of her, his arms crossed. “I’m serious, Julie. We need to be calm and plan this out. Flying by the seat of our pants isn’t going to cut it with Caleb. He always has something up his sleeve.”

Like a switch, Madison started t tear up just as Julie was supposed to do at that moment. “But what if we can’t? What if Caleb outsmarts us again? I can’t….I can’t see Alex losing Willie for good. You know what Caleb will do to him. Who knows what will happen to Nick….”.

“You can’t think like that. You know Caleb will use any little thing to tear us down and apart. We have to beat him at his own game. We just have to put our heads together on this one.”

Madison got up from the studio’s couch. “I can’t just sit here like this. We have to move now. Trying to think of some elaborate plan is only going to take longer.”

Charlie grabbed Madison’s wrists stopping her from moving further away. He brought her closer to him, sliding his hands to touch hers. “Julie, I don’t want you getting hurt. Please just let us do this together. You, me, Alex, and Reggie are stronger together. You don’t have to do this alone. We lifted the stamps off. We can do this, too.”

“Luke…”.

Charlie had to control himself from saying Madison as he responded. “I told you before I’d do anything for you. I meant it. I’ll make sure we get through this. We got this.” He and Madison hugged, his hands almost digging into her waist. “I am always here. I promise,” he whispered in her ear, knowing that the mics would not be able to pick it up. He wanted Madison to know he was serious. She looked up at him, her eyes full of hope and affection. She tucked her head into his neck. He nuzzled her ear and swayed them to an invisible song playing.

Charlie had foolishly believed that his words would placate Madison’s worries. He was proven wrong that night when he heard her screams from below. His eyes snapped open and he stumbled out of bed, almost flattening Ghost as he got out of the bed.

“WHERE IS HE!? WHERE’D HE GO!? COME BACK! PLEASE! DON’T LEAVE!” Her screaming broke him and he had to stop as his heart burned at the sound. Owen tripped coming out of his room. Ghost was between them one second and then running down the stairs to his mother the next.

Charlie and Owen followed after the dog, barely keeping themselves from crashing down the stairs as they tried to run down at the same time. Charlie was pretty sure his hand hit the railing and Owen’s shoulder knocked into the wall on their way down. The injuries didn’t matter though. Madison was in trouble.

When they got outside Madison’s door, Jeremy and Carolynn were already there holding each other’s hands. Carolynn seemed to be praying in whispers. “What’s going on,” Charlie said out of breath.

Jeremy looked devoid of life as he replied. “Madison had a nightmare. Now she can’t stop crying and keeps screaming too. Ricardo is trying to do something but it’s not working.”

“I NEED HIM! PLEASE! BRING HIM BACK!” Charlie’s ears tingled and horrible shivers ran through his body at hearing the pained screaming up close.

“It’s like she doesn’t know that she’s awake or something,” Owen said, just as shocked as the rest of them.

“She must want Ghost. Go do your thing,” Charlie instructed. After finding out Ghost was trained to help people with anxiety and depression, Charlie had been brushing up on Ghost’s training in the chance that Owen or Madison needed him.

Jeremy knocked on the door. “Ric, Ghost is coming in,” he called through the door. Barely a second later, Madison’s father opened the door and picked up Ghost so that he could do the task he needed to do to calm Madison from her panic attack. Charlie peeked through the slightly open door to see Ghost lay on Madison to relieve the stress. She was stroking his head but still crying. Ric looked like he was close to crying himself, not being able to help his daughter.

“Where’s Charlie? Is he gone?” Madison sounded so broken. A fresh wave of tears came out and she gripped to Ghost tighter.

“Ssh. It’s okay, Mad. I’ll get him for you.” Ricardo jumped up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. He rounded the bed and flung the door open and yanked Charlie inside before he could get his bearings.

Madison noticed his presence instantly. Her eyes were on him, brighter than they had been only a second before. “Charlie…you’re here. You didn’t leave.”

Charlie’s heart dropped. “Of course I am. Why would you think I’d leave?”

“Should I,” Ricardo asked behind him, pointing towards the door.

“Please,” Charlie answered. Ricardo nodded and left the family alone together. Charlie walked to the other side of the bed so he was sitting in front of Madison. He could faintly hear Ricardo’s voice. He was likely ushering the others away from the door so they could have proper privacy. Charlie had a feeling they were going to need it.

Madison’s eyes were dark jewels gleaming from her seemingly endless tears. “I….”. She couldn’t even speak and just sobbed, throwing herself into Charlie’s arms. Ghost crawled out from her lap and instead patted her shoulder to let her know he was there.

Charlie didn’t say anything and just held her as he let Madison cry as much as she needed to. He didn’t know how long they sat there, but it was so long that he was sure that Madison and him had fused as one. While she cried, Charlie ran his fingers through her hair, gently untangling the knots of curls along the way. He could tell that there was some effect as her constant crying turned to hitched tears instead. It was a slow process but Charlie would sit there for however long he needed to.

“I thought it was real,” Madison whispered out, her voice hoarse from all the crying. She was going to need a serious hit of Booboo’s best tea recipes to help with it.

Charlie wasn’t sure if he heard her right though. “What do you mean,” he asked in a similar whisper.

“Y-you left. And didn’t come back….”. Charlie’s brows furrowed as he wrapped a curl around his finger.

“I don’t…What do you mean I “left”?” He pulled Madison back so that he could look her in the eye better. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was tinted gray with tear stains running down. She looked absolutely destroyed.

Madison latched on to the front of his shirt almost grabbing his skin. At the moment, Charlie didn’t really care as long as he could find out what was going on in Madison’s head. “I….I haven’t been able to sleep through the night. When I close my eyes….I keep seeing Ghost being dragged away. Except in the dream, he doesn’t come back. Then it only got worse. Then everyone disappeared and you…you weren’t there anymore. I was alone. I was alone.”

Charlie’s ears tingled agains as a heart wrenching sob ripped out of Madison’s throat. Charlie’s heart burned so bad that he was sure he was going to give himself a heart attack with how upset he was getting. Madison fell onto the bed as the sobbing intensified. She was going to lose her voice completely if she didn’t stop.

Ghost hurried to pull her out of her mental state. Charlie called to her to get her to come back to him. “Madison I’m here. Can you hear me? I’m right here.” He grabbed her hand and scooted closer so he could put it against his heart. “Feel that. It’s me. We’re here together. Come on Mads. Come back. Please, _mon petit chou_ ,” he begged at the end.

It seemed like Ghost and Charlie’s combined efforts pulled Madison back to their plane enough to open her eyes. Ragged breaths came out and she was sweating as if she ran a marathon. She was staring above, still not full there with them. “Mads,” Charlie called to her.

Madison blinked. “Ch-Charlie,” she croaked out, still in a daze.

Charlie smiled in relief. “I’m right here baby.” Ghost climbed on top of Madison and started licking her face. He was pulling her back.

“Ghost…”.

“That’s right. Our boy. Come on. Squeeze my hand.” He felt the pressure from Madison’s hand. “Good. Now let’s get you up, alright?” Ghost crawled off her and helped him sit Madison up. Ghost licked her hand as a show of support. She reached out and ran her hand over his head. He leaned into the touch. “That’s great Mads. You are getting the sensation back. I’m going to scoot you closer to me, okay?” Madison nodded. Charlie held her lower back as he guided her back to sitting in front of him.

Madison looked so drained after that. Charlie pushed back her curls and wiped the tears from her face. Her eyes fluttered shut at the feather light touch of his fingers. He didn’t want to do anything that would startle her or cause her to spiral again. He took his time as he checked her over and left a touch here or there. A small smile came to her face as he ran his knuckles along the side of her torso. Charlie’s heart hurt again but this time it was bittersweet. Seeing her respond to bits of stimulation was encouraging but difficult. He wished she didn’t have to suffer.

Eventually, Madison was breathing normally and her mind relaxed. Charlie watched her eyes come to fully focus on his. “Hey, there’s my girl,” he said softly. She smiled softly at him, her eyes warm. His heart skipped a beat at the sight. “Ready to talk?” She nodded. “Okay…so you had nightmares about losing Ghost for good, then our friends and family disappeared from around us, and then me?” She nodded, her eyes moving from his, as if she was ashamed.

“Yeah,” she mumbled.

Charlie squeezed her hand. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t look like that. It’s perfectly normal to feel confused and scared. There is nothing wrong with feeling that way. I get the Ghost part but not sure about the rest.”

Madison sighed and looked at him again. Her eyes were wavering. “It was like my mind was telling me that Ghost left because he was better off. That he didn’t want to be with us anymore. And then it manifested into the people we know. Slowly they disappeared from around us one by one, as if to say they weren’t ever there or didn’t care. And then….”. Madison started breathing fast, her eyes blinking rapidly.

“Hey, hey. Breathe. Slowly. In. Out. In. Out. Just like that.” Madison followed his instructions as Ghost laid his head on Madison’s lap to help her calm down faster. She ran her hands over his back. His touch and the breathing exercise brought her breathing back after a few minutes. “You okay?” Madison nodded. “Can you continue or…”. Madison nodded her head furiously.

“I-I want to.” Charlie squeezed her hand and let her get her bearings. “I think I’m ready.” Charlie nodded watching her carefully. “Um…so in my nightmares…it was us watching Ghost go and then I didn’t feel your hand anymore. When I would look to the side, you were gone. My mind made me think you left me. That you weren’t coming back. That I completely alone…”.

Charlie bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying. Madison had been breaking on the inside and he didn’t even know. “Mads…you would _never_ lose me. Do you understand? I would never leave you. I knew the moment I met you that I would do anything to be in your life and see you shine. Having Ghost only affirmed that to me. Those nightmares are wrong. You can’t get rid of me. If we can get through a global pandemic attached, I know some thoughts in your sleep can’t break us. I’m gonna be here forever or until you finally get sick of me.”

Madison gave a water laugh. Hearing that made Charlie’s heart dance and his stomach flutter. Those little hints of happiness coming back to her…he wouldn’t trade it for the world. “I could never get sick of you. I feel more comfortable around you than anyone else. You are honestly my favorite person.”

Charlie’s face warmed at Madison’s little speech. Knowing how much she valued him…it was hard to grasp. He always wanted to be cared for my someone so much but it always seemed like a far fetched dream. Something out of a cheesy romance movie. But here Madison was telling him that he mattered to her. That she wanted him there no matter what. “You’re my favorite, too.”

He wiped the last remnants of her tears from her lashes and stroked her cheeks. He just wanted to show her how angelic she truly was. A happy smile spread on her face as she tilted her head to his touch, holding a hand over the one he had on her cheek. Charlie’s heart beat against his chest as he looked at beautiful lashes that skimmed her face as she hummed to herself. He had never seen anything more beautiful in his life.

Madison opened her eyes, this emotion burning in them. “ _Te amo, Charlie_.” Charlie heard the conviction in her words. Her eyes, they burned with love, with passion…for him. Charlie was surprised his heart didn’t burst out his chest and jump into her hands. He knew right there. He was in love with her. He was in love with Madison Reyes.

“ _Je t’aime, Madison_ ,” he replied with just as much conviction. He didn’t want there to be any doubt that he loved her just as strongly as she did him. At hearing his reply, her eyes shimmered and the sweetest smile graced him. The two of them touched foreheads, their eyes never leaving the other. “Mads…”.

“Charlie…”. His eyes closed and he leaned forward, letting his nose brush against hers. She responded in kind and he could hear the hints of a giggle. _God_ , he would never tire of that.

They opened their eyes, both brimming with love and pure adoration. “I think it’s time we got some sleep, huh,” Charlie finally said.

“Yeah,” Madison said, her whole energy lighter than before.

They maneuvered themselves under the blankets with Ghost laying on his side between them like the baby he was. Charlie smiled at the sight before him. He had Madison’s hand in his, their fingers intertwined and his other on Ghost. There was nowhere else he’d rather be. “You and Ghost are my world,” he couldn’t help but whisper to Madison. She smiled as she snuggled deeper into her pillow. He watched as sleep took her almost immediately. Getting emotionally drained would do that to someone. Ghost’s breathing evened out a few minutes after her. Knowing they were both content and sleeping, he let himself fall away from the awake world.


	21. One Last Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been a while. I have started working doing freelance writing by commission. In this chapter things are winding down to the end of filming. Charlie and Madison are much more comfortable and sure with each other after the last chapter. I know people will wonder why Charlie acts the way he does with Ric in the one part. It is a hint at how what happened with the Ghost drama affected him. This will be explored in Part 2. Yeah you didn't think I was ending this, right? There's more to come.

“So how have the meds been working out for you? Mitch give you any advice about it,” Charlie asked Madison as they sat in her bedroom preparing for Owen’s birthday. It was a week and a half until the ending of filming and they were celebrating the blond’s birthday the day before his actual birthday.

Madison shrugged. “I feel fine. And Mitch sent me some techniques to help for panic attacks.” After that night when Madison had a mental breakdown, Charlie and Owen urged her to go see a professional. She reluctantly agreed and now had been officially diagnosed with PTSD. It was weird to say the least to acknowledge but relieving knowing that what she had went through was real and taken seriously.

“Are you sure, Mads? Nothing has bothered you? You aren’t hiding anything right? I just want to make sure that you and Ghost are okay.” Charlie stroked her cheek with his hand, trying to see for any lies in her chocolate orbs. Madison rolled her eyes at his dramatics. Ghost picked his head up at hearing his name, but dropped it back down to continue with his nap.

“I’m fine, _cariño_. I promise. If anything was the matter I would tell you.” She grabbed Charlie’s hand and kissed each finger and then thumb. “I would never scare you like that again.”

Charlie’s eyes were split between a bright green and blue as he sucked in a breath at the tenderness that Madison displayed. “Mads…I love you.”

Madison’s eyes were just as soft and loving as she stared back at him. “I love you, too,” she replied without hesitation. Charlie leaned over and kissed her forehead with their hands slightly entwined.

The moment of bliss was broken when Madison’s phone dinged with a text notification. She picked it up off the bed and read it. “That’s Sav. We are going to look for cakes for Owen’s party.”

Charlie pouted. “No. Stay.” Madison giggled at his face. He had his hazel eyes on full display to get her to agree with him.

“Sorry, _cariño_. We already have some bakeries lined up to check out. I’ll be back in a couple hours. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”

Charlie doubted that. He was already yearning to have her in his arms. “…Fine. Love you.”

Madison smiled, getting up from the bed. “Love you, too.” She scratched Ghost’s head. “Mommy loves you, too, my boy. Be good for Daddy while I’m gone.” Ghost looked up at her, his “eyebrows” moving as if to say he would think about it.

Madison’s fingers slipped from Charlie’s, the two not taking taking their eyes off each other. “Bye, Charlie.”

Charlie smiled at her, his eyes shining. “Bye, Mads.” The saying was true about hating the one you love going but loving to watch them leave.

Charlie was writing down the music playlist that was going to be used for the party. He knew that Madison was going to complain about his chicken scratch but his mind worked faster than his hands. He was trying to remember what the name of a song from a musical was when he noticed that Ricardo had come in. “Hey Ric. What’s up,” he asked absently as he tapped the pen on the paper. He wondered if he could text Savannah to get his answer when he realized that Ricardo was staring at him. He looked up, kind of confused why Ricardo was looking at him so hard. The tall man seemed to be studying him. “Uh you good Ric?”

Ricardo didn’t say anything. The staring was starting to unnerve Charlie. Maybe Ricardo was uncomfortable with Charlie being in Madison’s room without her there. “You’re in love with Madison,” Ricardo said finally. Charlie’s blood boiled. His lips drew into a straight line and he knew his eyes were surely dark as he looked at Ricardo straight on.

“You’re wrong. We’re best friends.” This burning roared inside him and he felt defensive. He respected Madison’s father but the man getting in between what was his and Madison’s personal business…it did something to him. He didn’t want anyone questioning their relationship. He didn’t know why but having things brought up put him on edge.

Ricardo stepped back, still having his eyes on him. “Okay. Whatever you say.” He left the room, obviously not believing Charlie. Charlie cursed under his breath. Madison and him weren’t trying to rock the boat after the Ghost drama. This might not be good.

“You think Mommy’s going to be mad with me,” he asked Ghost. The dog picked up his head at being addressed and tilted his head to the side. “Same. I have no idea.”

The band plus Carolynn were gathered in the common area that evening with Ricardo standing in front of them. Madison almost felt like they were a group of kids who were about to reprimanded by their father. Madison knew that the boys hadn’t done anything stupid recently so she was a little confused why everyone had been gathered. “So uh….what’s this apartment meeting for,” Madison asked for the group, rubbing Ghost’s head, who was laying on her lap.

Ricardo looked over all of them before saying anything. “Well we need to know how we are finishing things up here. We have the wrap party coming up soon. Who is taking what from the apartment, where is everyone going, what is happening with Ghost?”

Madison’s eyebrows furrowed at her father’s last question he slipped in. “What do you mean what’s happening with Ghost? He’s going to be with Charlie and I.”

Ricardo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “That isn’t possible, Mads. You and Charlie aren’t going to be with each other when filming is over.”

Madison had to put her hand on Charlie’s knee to stop him from jumping up. She knew he was protective of their family. She was too but she didn’t need him snapping. The idea of the man she loved most possibly getting into it with her father…she didn’t want that. “No. We are staying together. There is no questions about it.”

Madison could feel Owen trying to move away from her right side. They were in their band formation so he was scooting closer to Jeremy. “Madison you are doing summer classes to finish school sooner and have other commitments back home. And Charlie is going back to New Brunswick. How do you think that would work with Ghost if you are in two different places?”

Madison’s nostrils flared and she sat straight, anger radiating off of her. “My classes are online. I can do them anywhere. And those other things aren’t necessary right now. I am not leaving Charlie. Not happening.”

Ricardo looked like he was trying to keep his composure. “Maybe you guys can split time with Ghost. Charlie takes Ghost for now and then you get him. Or maybe one of the cast can take him.”

Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, Care and I can take him and you can come see him whenever.”

Madison and Charlie’s heads whipped to their bassist. “Fuck no,” Charlie snapped.

“We are not giving Ghost up to anyone. After what we went through, you think we’d do that,” Madison said with attitude. Jeremy cowered away from the glares and held his wife’s hand.

Ricardo wiped his hand over his face. He took a few breaths. “Okay…so what is your solution then,” he challenged his daughter.

“Well we _are_ in Canada,” Madison replied cheekily, very reminiscent of how Charlie was. “I’ll go with Charlie to New Brunswick. I’m sure Ghost will love all the open space. I can continue doing my school work the whole time.”

Ricardo stared at her, completely flabbergasted. “You expect me to let you go off with Charlie alone and live with him?” Madison could see that her boys and Carolynn were watching the two Reyes’ go back and forth like it was a tennis match. Their eyes were on Madison again waiting for her to hit back.

Madison crossed her right leg over her left, slightly shifting Ghost and crossed her arms. She was all business. “I make my own money, the band is going to be going to LA in a couple months to create our debut original EP,I have control of all my accounts and finances, and I have shown that I can be trusted with Charlie. In every way I am independent. I don’t need to obey you if I don’t want to.” She was staring Ricardo down, not flinching in the least.

Ricardo and the others were struck silent, their mouths hanging open at Madison’s gaul and determination. She really went there and didn’t seem the least bit ashamed. Charlie was pretty sure that Madison had more balls than any guy he’d ever met. She was _that_ girl.

It took a few minutes for Ricardo to recover from Madison’s declaration. It wasn’t every day when your oldest went against you. Finally he was able to put himself back together. “…Okay I can’t argue with you. You are self sufficient and obviously you aren’t going to separate from Charlie….We’ll discuss how to do this thing later.”

“Damn! Girl you just steamrolled your pops,” Owen exclaimed.

Charlie was still in shock about what Madison pulled on Ricardo. He was amazed by her fire. She knew how to get what she wanted. Madison was the kind of woman for girls to look up to. Never giving in no matter what anyone says. Some may think she was being a brat or insolent with what she did, but she just knew who she was and that no one would take away anything from her. He was the lucky bastard who got to bask in that beauty and power.

He shook his head as he found his best friend drumming on his thighs with his sticks. “There you are. We’ve got somewhere to be.”

Owen looked at him a little confused. “Uh…okay? Where is it?”

Charlie smirked at him. “You’ll figure it out when we get there. Let’s go.” Charlie grabbed Owen’s upper arm and hauled him off the couch.

Owen rolled his eyes. “You better not have some scheme cooking in that brain of yours. I will not be an accomplice to any crap. I want to be able to sit right.” Madison had no qualms about showing them who the boss was.

Owen stared around them as he took in all the prints up on the wall. “Why are we standing in a tattoo parlor right now?” Charlie didn’t answer him and was instead pulling something out of his pocket. “Charlie,” he asked apprehensively.

Charlie turned to him with a small comforting smile. “I am getting a tattoo and you are going to be here for support.” Owen arched his blond brow.

“Uh huh and why do I need to be here for support?”

Charlie looked at him sheepishly. “Well about that…”.

Charlie gripped Owen’s hand tight as the outline of the tattoo was pressed on to his skin. He was trying hard not to shake since he knew that he would feel the sting of the needle more. “Kid you sure you are ready for this? You are really going to feel it.

Charlie nodded. He wasn’t going back. He had to do it. “Y-yeah.”

The tattooist didn’t looked completed convinced but shook his head as he dipped the needle into the ink. “Alright. Remember to stay as still as possible while I do this.”

Owen was worrying his bottom lip as he watched the needle make its way underneath the Charlie’s waist. “How thin did you say the skin was there again,” Owen asked as he tried to see what the tattooist was doing to Charlie.

The tattooist started his work, the needle pricking Charlie's skin and the ink bleeding out little by little. “It’s not that skin is so thin but there isn’t any fat or muscle really in this area. It is just really the skin covering the bone here. That’s why it is considered one of the more painful spots to get tattooed. Which begs the question, kid, why you wanted this tattoo here. You could have gotten it on your arm or chest. Somewhere normal where you can show it off.”

Charlie shook his head as best he could as he gritted his teeth. “The thing is I don’t want to show it off. This tattoo is special. I want it somewhere that isn’t seen by just anyone.”

The tattooist shrugged. “Whatever man.”

Owen squeezed Charlie’s hand as he groaned. The tattooist had started coloring in a part of the tattoo. “So since we are here doing this. Explain to me why you thought of getting a tattoo now of all times.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “With your birthday coming up, I realized I never got anything for Mads. Besides sadness and sorrow of course.” It was Owen’s turn to roll his eyes. “So I thought this would be perfect.”

Owen sighed. “Extra is your middle name. With all you are doing for this, you better have gotten _me_ a present for my birthday.”

Charlie chuckled at Owen being moody. “Yes I did. It is the perfect thing for you.”

Owen shook his head and looked at the progress on Charlie’s tattoo. “Well there isn’t _that_ much blood. So you are good on that front.”

With all that had been going on recently, Madison completely forgot about the change they had made to the ending of the last episode of the season. They were finally filming it and she felt kind of out of it. They were basically done with season 2 now. The time had gone slow and fast at the same time. Now she was about to do something that she had been so conflicted about for such a long time.

“Mads, are you ready,” Charlie asked, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. His eyes were this silvery gray, which wasn’t as common. She couldn’t comprehend what that color meant. “If you are having second thoughts we can go to Kenny and go back to the original script.”

Madison shook her head. “No. No I’m fine. I was just having a moment because I realized that we have come so far with everything. Just letting it sink in is all.”

Charlie nodded. “Okay. So we probably should hurry up. Ghost is ready for his big part.”

Madison laughed. “Ghost is such a diva.”

Charlie laughed along with her. “Don’t say that. Owen would feel like he would be kicked off his throne.” Madison’s lips twitched at the joke. Ghost would definitely knock Owen down to take his spot. That was just the kind of dog he was.

“Alright. Let’s go. If we take too long Ghost is sure to do something to Owen.” Charlie entwined his fingers with hers and they walked out to do the last few minutes of the season 2 finale.

The part where the band takes in the ghost dog had been filmed. Seeing Ghost jump into Jeremy’s arms and barking happily was the cutest thing as Jeremy started crying as Reggie now had the “puppy” he had always wanted. Charlie was back in the studio. It was the big moment. And Madison was more relaxed than she had imagined she would be. It was like everything was natural.

Charlie turned to her as she walked into the studio. She gave him a nervous smile. She pointed her thumb behind her. “Reg wants to show the dog to my dad and Carlos. And Alex wants to properly introduce Willie to them.” She walked up to him, her hands together in front of her.

Charlie smiled down at her. “I feel so bad for Ray. He’s not only adding four dead teenagers to the family but a dog, too.”

Madison laughed as she smiled at him, her eyes soft. “Yeah. At least he doesn’t think he’s crazy anymore with all the stuff that had been going on.”

Charlie studied Madison’s face as Luke was supposed to do right then. “Right….so I know things have been wild and we never got a chance to talk about the dance thing and that song you wrote….”. His voice petered off, watching Madison for a reaction.

Madison looked away, pushing a curl behind her ear. “Y-yeah. We didn’t. Well….we do use music to express what we can’t otherwise.”

Charlie’s breath caught. He had a dreamy look in his eyes which had changed to a deep blue. “Julie…”.

Madison looked up at Charlie through her lashes, leaning closer to him. “Yeah,” she breathed out.

Charlie stared between her eyes and lips. The moment was here. Madison felt absolutely calm as they leaned into each other. Charlie’s eyes started closing as she felt his breath fanning her face. Her eyes followed suit as she pushed herself up on her toes and their lips connected. Madison had her hands on each part of his sleeveless blue jacket as she added pressure gently to his lips.

She felt Charlie tilt his head for a better angle as they kissed as their characters. Madison could tell that Charlie was holding back. He was putting enough pressure into the kiss for it to be natural looking but there wasn’t that powerful emotion she knew he had. It was careful and surely would be great on camera. But it wasn’t the actual thing. Even so, Madison was happy that it was Charlie with her. She wouldn’t want to stage kiss anyone else.

Their lips finally parted after what must have been thirty seconds or so. Relief washed over Madison at having that out of the way. Now all the fantoms won’t be so rabid about a Juke kiss. Having it cap off the end of the season was really perfect. Changing from the original cheek kiss was a good idea. It all flowed well. Charlie and her smiled at each other and touched foreheads, looking into each other’s eyes. “Cut,” Kenny called.

Charlie smiled down at her. “So what did you think?”

Madison rolled her eyes. Charlie and his ego. “I’m sure your real kisses are much better.”

A bright pink blush graced Charlie’s cheeks. Madison giggled as she turned away from him, leaving the Canadian flustered.

Charlie knew they were supposed to be getting for the combined wrap/birthday party but he couldn’t get changed just yet. He had been holding off on showing Madison the tattoo as he let it settle. It had been a few days since he and Owen had gone to get it and it was finally without the plastic covering.

He paced back and forth waiting for Madison. He had texted her about ten minutes ago to see him. And ever since he saw the read on the message he had been going nuts. He was really starting to regret the tattoo. It was too much, too tacky, too cliche. She would run for the hills because he’d seem like an obsessive psycho. And to remove it would be such a chore. The idea of other people seeing and questioning it…Was there a way to cover up the tattoo? And after dragging Owen down to the tattoo parlor with him, too. The blond was going to be _pissed_!

All the pacing and thoughts stopped when he heard the door open. Madison was standing there with her hair and make up done but still in her regular clothes. She had obviously stopped getting ready to see what was so urgent. Charlie felt like kicking himself. His inability to be patient might be his downfall.

“Hey,” he breathed out. “Is uh Ghost ready?”

Madison nodded. He knew that she knew that it wasn’t what he wanted to talk about. But he needed something to break the silence and tension. “Yeah. He just relaxing with Boo and Jer in the common area right now. _Que paso, cariño_? You look like you might jump out of your skin.”

Charlie tried to laugh but it sounded like a dying animal to his ears. Madison was staring at him like had lost it. Yeah he wasn’t sure he hadn’t. “Um….well so I know we had all these things we were going to do for your birthday.” Madison flinched at the reminder. Charlie wanted to hit himself for being so careless. “And well things didn’t turn out how we expected. So…all of us having been planning Owen’s birthday party and it made me think. I never actually got you a present.”

Madison’s face softened. “Charlie you don’t need to get me anything. Just having you here is enough for me.” Charlie smiled awkwardly, his lip twitching.

“I know. But I wanted to do this. So…I uh…well I think it is better to show you.” Madison’s eyes squinted as he held his shirt up. Then he pulled down the left side of his sweatpants to show his hipbone without revealing any genitalia. Madison’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped. Her whole body was shaking. “Surprise,” he said weakly.

Madison just stared in shock, not able to utter a word. “Y-you got my name on your hip! And is that my handwriting!?”

Charlie smiled at her nervously. “Y-yeah. That’s why I asked you to write your name on a piece of paper that time. I-I know this may seem like a lot. But hear me out.”

Madison nodded as she stepped a little closer to see the tattoo better. “Please.”

Charlie swallowed the saliva in his mouth before speaking. “You said you never wanted to lose me. Well now you won’t. With this, you will always be with me. You are a part of me now. Whenever you feel lost like that again, there’s this to remind you. You are in my skin and my blood.”

“Charlie…”. She raised a shaking hand to the tattoo to feel the noticeable block letters of her name etched into his hipbone only like an inch or two away from his manhood. Charlie’s breath hitched and his heart sped up as Madison ran her fingers so delicately along the letters in the most deliciously slow pace. Madison was taking in the tattoo like it was a work of art. It made his blood rush. “Why did you decide to get it here of all places?”

It took a second to think as all he could focus on was Madison’s accursed fingers on his hip. “I wanted it to be somewhere that no one would see. That only you can. And yes it did hurt like fucking hell.”

Madison’s fingers were feather light as they ran over the tattoo in almost reverence. She seemed to enjoy it when his body twitched at times from her touch. It was a sweet torture having her touch such a sensitive spot. Madison ran her fingertips back from the last letter, her eyes so intense. “I love it,” she stated with love. She locked eyes with him. “I love you.”

A goofy smile spread on Charlie’s face. “I love you, too.” She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. Charlie couldn’t hide his blush if he tried as he bit his lip and stared into his favorite pair of eyes.

“GHOST,” Jeremy and Booboo shouted.

Madison and Charlie’s heads whipped in the direction the commotion was coming from. “Get off me, you beast! You are ruining my outfit,” Owen cried in distress. Madison looked back at Charlie and shook her head, an amused smile on her face. This was their family.


End file.
